Laboring to Love
by Emi-Lynn
Summary: Operation Frankenstein once again rears its ugly head.  Lives will never be the same, but maybe, just maybe, there might be a silver lining after all. Starts at the beginning of season 9, but no huge spoilers, only characters. Slash, MPreg.
1. Chapter 1

Laboring To Love

_Week One_

"All right, Agent David, one more time from the beginning." Fornell was tired and frustrated and was beginning to lose his temper. "You must have seen something."

"Only what I have already told you a dozen times, Fornell. Gibbs was driving, Tony was in the passenger seat. The Director was in the middle of the back seat, McGee was to his left, I was on his right side. We pulled into the parking garage. Gibbs shut off the engine before he saw something in the rear view mirror. I saw his reaction and I turned to look. There was a man, he was wearing a gas mask and a hood. He raised a weapon. McGee shoved the Director down onto the floorboard and I attempted to draw my weapon. The suspect fired once, it was some type of gas canister that broke through the rear window. That is the last thing I remember until I woke up alone in the parking garage." The short, terse sentences were a testament to how stressed the Israeli was, even before she slammed her hands down on the table. "We need to be out there looking for them, not sitting here remashing what I do not remember."

"Actually, it's rehashing, and you must know that any little thing..."

The door banged open and the SecNav stormed in, Jackie Vance on his heels. "Agent David is correct. What do we know so far? Has Homeland Security picked up on any chatter?"

Fornell tried to not look at Jackie. He never did well with upset women, probably one of the reasons he was divorced. "Nothing, Mr. Secretary. Every agency has agents on the ground and checking with all of their sources. There hasn't been the slightest uptick in activity."

Jarvis rubbed at his forehead, refusing to admit he was out of his element. "Are you suggesting that this was a targeted attack against this agency alone?"

"At this point, we can't rule it out. For all we know, Gibbs' team was the real target and Director Vance was just unlucky to be with them at the time."

Everyone in the room looked at Ziva, who seemed thoughtful as she quickly reviewed the active cases the team was working. "We have been tracking a drug ring that appears to be operating out of Quantico."

"Seems a little bit extreme for some drug dealers. What about cases that are headed to court? Anybody on the team testifying?"

"Tony and I are scheduled to testify in an assault case in two weeks. I believe McGee is to testify the week after that on a different case."

Fornell shook his head as he looked over at Jarvis. "Still doesn't fit."

"So you're saying that Leon was the real target?" Jackie was clinging to Jarvis's hand. "Where were his regular drivers? Why was he squeezed into a car with four other people instead of riding in the SUV?"

The attention again returned to Ziva. "Director Vance was running late, and when he and his drivers came downstairs, the SUV would not start. Our team was providing security for the banquet, so he rode with us." Ziva frowned as she thought it over. "That does not make sense. If they were targeting Director Vance, why sabotage his car? That just put more people around him."

"Because more people is what they wanted."

They all turned to stare at Trent Kort, standing in the doorway. Fornell reacted first. "And how do you know who they are and what they want?"

Kort turned his head to look at the two way mirror. "Let's take this someplace more private, shall we?"

When he turned and walked back out of the room, the rest of them scrambled to catch up. Kort didn't say anything in the elevator, but both Fornell and Ziva noticed that he carefully kept his blind side nearest the wall, protecting himself.

Once inside Vance's office, Jackie had to force back a scathing remark when Kort took his seat at the head of the conference table. Kort ignored her and turned to Clayton Jarvis. "Operation Frankenstein."

Jarvis bit back a curse. He'd hoped to never hear that code name again. Kort smirked at him and pulled a photo out of his jacket pocket before tossing it on the table. It showed a thin, dour faced man in his mid-fifties.

"Dr. Davidson was the medical expert on the team. His expertise wasn't needed all the time, so he continued on with his own private research. The expenses were minimal, so we didn't object – at least not until he had his first fatality. Even then, with the chaos from Cobb going rogue, he was able to keep his personal work going far longer than we had believed. The trucks carrying his work vanished on their way back to Langley two months ago. Last week we found his latest research subject. Davidson needs more bodies and who better than Vance and his top people? If he's successful this time, his work can't be ignored, it's become too high profile."

"Research? Human subjects?" Fornell glanced over at Jarvis for a second before continuing. "Just what in the hell was this man studying?"

"Male pregnancy."

Jarvis had to shout to be heard over the shocked objections. "Male pregnancy, are you nuts? That's impossible."

Kort leaned back in his chair. "Well, I'll let your Dr. Mallard decide that. Davidson's last research subject was just delivered for him to examine."

"This I've got to see." Fornell was up on his feet and headed out the door before Kort had the photo picked back up, the rest of the group right on his heels.

-NCIS-

"Oh, hello, is there any word?" Ducky looked up when the door slid open, surprised to see Kort following behind Fornell and Jarvis. While he was waiting for an answer, he took Jackie's hand and led her over to sit next to Abby at his desk. Jimmy poured another cup of tea, slightly nervous as Ziva paced behind him.

"Ducky, was a body delivered a little while ago?" Abby immediately panicked at Fornell's question and he rushed to reassure her. "It's not anybody from your team."

Ducky was about to tell them no, but he heard the cargo elevator doors open and the familiar squeak of rubber wheels coming down the hallway. He met two men he didn't recognize, but they nodded to Kort before pushing the gurney into Autopsy. Ducky and Jimmy took over and moved it next to one of the steel tables before transferring the body bag over. There was no paperwork, so Ducky cautiously unzipped the bag. Despite Fornell's assurances, he didn't relax until he was looking at an unfamiliar face. Next he opened the bag further, freezing when he saw the large, rounded abdomen.

"Oh, my."

Fornell snapped on one glove before carefully touching the body, remembering how Diane had felt when she'd carried Emily. "How is this possible?"

"Davidson has been developing an artificial womb." Kort stepped closer to look down on the body. "Apparently, he doesn't have all the bugs worked out."

"Are you saying that this Frankenstein doctor wants to do this to my husband?" Jackie had shaken off Jimmy's support and rejoined them around the table, Abby right next to her.

"One of the four will be the subject."

It was now apparent to Ziva why they didn't bother to take her as well. "And the others?"

Kort couldn't quite hide the smirk. "Somebody's got to be the daddy."

* * *

><p><strong>an - Yep, it's happened. Em has written a MPreg. I'll be posting updates on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, so stay tuned.**


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take much to convince the SecNav to wait up in Vance's office during the autopsy and he took Jackie with him, but the rest of the group stayed to watch as they struggled to comprehend what they were looking at.

Ducky made the familiar Y incision and peeled back the skin, noting the scar at the base of the unidentified man's extended abdomen. Ignoring the lungs and heart for the time being, Ducky peeled back the abdominal muscles to expose the artificial womb. Made of a surgical steel frame and a fine synthetic mesh, the shape of the fetus inside was clearly visible. Ducky carefully examined how it was attached to the body, straightening after he found the cause of death.

"The blood supply for the womb is spliced directly into the Common Iliac Artery. The seal between the artificial and natural flesh ruptured and both John and Baby Doe bled to death within a matter of minutes. What I don't understand is why no attempts were made to save them. I see no evidence that even a blood transfusion was started."

"Davidson's only interested in a successful experiment, Dr. Mallard." Kort stared down at the body for a moment. "I guarantee you, the minute this body failed, Davidson was already planning out the next round of the experiment."

Ducky couldn't help but shudder at the cold-blooded nature of what he was seeing as he carefully opened the womb and removed the fetus. "He was carrying a little girl. She appears to be perfectly formed and developed enough that she could have survived with medical intervention." Ducky gently placed the baby on another table, tenderly brushing his hand over her head before returning to the autopsy he already had underway.

Abby was unusually quiet as Ducky and Palmer continued to work, not speaking until Ducky had a tray of samples for her to run. She took the tray before turning back to the baby. "She never experienced a moment of humanity, guys. She needs a name, that's the least we can do for her." Abby looked like she was going to say something else, but just shook her head and walked out without looking back.

After Abby left, Ziva stepped closer to Kort. "You are sure this is why Gibbs and the others were taken?"

"We'll know soon enough. He'll have no reason to keep the sperm donors once they've – made their contribution."

"He will kill them?"

"No." Kort glanced over at Fornell, knowing he was the only parent in the room. "He'll want Vance to worry about it, wonder if his missing man is carrying his child."

Fornell knew that would be a devastating worry for his old friend, too. "Who do you expect to be the host subject?"

Kort had thought about it ever since he'd gotten the call. "Director Vance and Gibbs are too old. DiNozzo's run-in with the plague would be a mark against him, but McGee is narrower in the hips, so it could be either of them, or both, but our latest intel is that he only had one more artificial womb prepared."

"How much time do we have, before he does that to one of them?" Unable to verbalize it, she waved at the body on the table.

The CIA agent understood the question. "He'll need about three weeks before implantation. He already has fertile eggs with the DNA removed, so his first step will be to add the host's DNA."

"Why?" Ducky knew how tricky it was to manipulate human eggs at that level. "Why go to all that work to give the embryo the host's DNA?"

"Same reason he uses someone the host knows as the father. He's convinced the emotional attachment makes it more likely the host will cooperate."

-NCIS-

"Jackie, why don't you let my driver take you home?"

She barely glanced at Jarvis as she continued to pace. "I can't go home, not until I know my husband is alive, Clayton."

Jarvis wasn't surprised and with the Vance's children at their grandmother's he had no other excuse to use to convince her. "We're going to get him back, Jackie."

She nodded and turned her attention back to the group of men and women hard at work. It had been almost thirty-six hours since the four men had been kidnapped, but no one had even left long enough to change their clothes.

Kort was sitting at Gibbs' desk and slammed the phone down as he stood. "Got something."

It was only the hands on her shoulders that kept Jackie where she was as the rest of them grabbed guns and ran for the elevator. Fornell called back over his shoulder without slowing down. "We'll keep you posted."

-NCIS-

An assortment of NCIS and FBI agents surrounded the abandoned building, but only Fornell, Ziva and Kort went inside. With just one room in the building, it was easy to clear and they were quickly checking the three unconscious men laying on the ground. Fornell was calling for ambulances while Ziva tried to get any kind of response, watching Kort out of the corner of her eye.

-NCIS-

"Doctor, how is my husband, what's happened to him?"

The Emergency Department doctor was convinced that he had good news. "Mrs. Vance, it appears that your husband and the two agents have been given a very strong sedative. We're going to let them sleep it off rather than give them any kind of a stimulant. It shouldn't take too long and you can sit with him if you'd like."

Jackie eagerly agreed and soon found herself sitting next to a hospital bed in a private room. Ducky was reading over his chart and gave her an encouraging smile. "Hello, Mrs. Vance. The Director should be waking up fairly soon. He will probably be very confused when he awakens, but just keep talking to him."

"Will he remember what happened to him?"

"Judging from the blood tests, I believe he and the others have been heavily sedated since the original attack."

Jackie thought back to everything she'd been told. "If they've been sedated the whole time, then how did that doctor get – you know – samples from them?"

"Ah, yes." Ducky closed the computer screen and turned his full attention to her. "A carefully applied electrical current will cause the body to release the required sample without any awareness or participation of the gentleman."

"Oh, I never thought about that. Can you tell for sure if that was done to them?"

"Yes, we can, and yes, it has." Ducky pulled a chair closer and encouraged Jackie to sit down. "But for now, just enjoy the fact that he's back and he's alive. We will figure the rest out later."

Across the hall, Abby was flitting between two beds, the occupants unaware of her nervous energy while Ziva was struggling to keep her composure. Luckily, before Ziva snapped, ice blue eyes fluttered open.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs."

"Abby, stop." With a groan, Gibbs reached up to press his hand against his forehead. "What happened?"

Ziva stepped in before Abby could get started. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Remembering, Gibbs struggled to sit up. "We were ambushed when we got to the hotel parking garage." He looked over at the next bed, seeing the other man start to come around. "Where's..."

"Director Vance is in the room across the hall." Ziva braced for the next question she knew was coming.

"Where's McGee?"

* * *

><p><strong>an - I've really been cranking out the chapters this week, so I'll start posting a chapter a day until I catch up with myself. I'm working on chapter 10 now, if that gives you any clues.**


	3. Chapter 3

"You're joking, right? This is some twisted joke that Kort came up with. Boss?" Tony turned away from Fornell and looked over at Gibbs, who was staring at Ducky. Vance also noticed the expression on the Medical Examiner's face.

"Dr. Mallard, do you have some information in regards to this?"

Ducky looked at the three men before giving a sigh and a nod. "While you were missing, I performed an autopsy on an unidentified male subject who was carrying a fetus of approximately twenty-eight weeks. The child was genetically and physically perfectly developed for that stage of her development."

"Her?"

"Yes, Jethro, our John Doe was carrying a daughter."

Tony still wasn't accepting any of it. "If it was pregnant, then John Doe was really a Jane Doe, right?"

"No, Anthony, there was no sign of any type of surgical gender modification and genetically our John Doe was male and had always been male. The only difference was the placement of an artificial womb in his lower abdomen and evidence of long term hormone treatment to help maintain the pregnancy. If his Iliac artery had not ruptured, John Doe and his child would still be healthy and alive, and the rupture was caused by a failure in the artificial womb. If Mr. Kort is correct and the flaw in the womb design has been corrected, then their next attempt might very well be successful."

"And their next attempt is with McGee?"

"It appears so, Jethro. In a very short time, Timothy McGee will be pregnant with a child fathered by one of the three of you."

Gibbs looked over at Tony in the next bed before looked at Vance, sitting in a wheelchair between them, seeing the stunned expression he knew was also on his face. Finally he turned his attention to the man that had been silently standing behind Fornell. "So you're telling us that right now, McGee is being cut open and..."

"Not yet. They won't implant the womb until they have a viable embryo growing in it. You've got about a three week window before that happens." The anger in the room was almost a physical presence to the CIA agent. "We have every resource available looking for Davidson. He stole millions in research and equipment from us, Gibbs."

"He stole something a hell of a lot more important from us, Kort."

"We'll find them."

"Yeah, but will you find them in time to save McGee?"

-NCIS-

"Jackie, honey, what's wrong?" Ever since the nurse had wheeled him back into his room, she'd been silently staring out at the night sky.

She turned and studied her husband, shaking her head. "Tell me it's not true. Tell me you had nothing to do with Operation Frankenstein."

"It's not that simple, Jackie." He immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say.

"Simple? Simple? No, there's nothing simple about this. Your involvement led to this, Leon. Do you truly understand what you've caused? What is going to happen if he's already pregnant by the time he's found? What if you're the father, Leon? How are you going to explain that to our children?"

Vance hung his head, suddenly exhausted. "I don't know, Jackie, okay. I just don't know."

-NCIS-

It was a testament to how much the news had affected Gibbs that he was slowly pacing in the room, hanging onto his IV pole, instead of demanding to be released. Ducky had chased everyone else out, leaving just the two recovering men alone in the room.

Uncomfortable watching Gibbs, Tony started talking, just to fill the air. "I don't understand why they took Tim instead of me."

"Why, you want to be pregnant, DiNozzo?"

Tony shuddered just at the thought. "No, God, no. I just meant that I'm stronger, I'd be able to take it better."

By now Gibbs had circled around the room and wearily sat down on his bed. "Obviously the doctor doesn't agree with you on that one, Tony." He knew that wasn't really what was bothering DiNozzo, so he waited. Eventually, Tony blurted it out.

"I don't want to be a father, Gibbs, not like this. I mean, how would I tell my old man?"

"Tony..."

"Don't get me wrong, I like McGee. He's a great bud, but he's not exactly who I pictured as the mother of my child, you know?" Leaning back, Tony closed his eyes as he tried to block out the possibility.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't how McGee imagined it either, so we need to get him back before it happens." Despite his professed worries, Gibbs' dreams were filled with memories of Shannon, heavy with child and how happy he'd been.

-NCIS-

At an abandoned horse ranch seized by the CIA, Edward Davidson beamed down at his assistant. "This time we will have success, I can feel it."

"Yes, sir. I have plenty of donor eggs that have survived the introduction of the host's DNA. Which sperm samples would you like me to use for fertilization?"

Davidson slipped on his glasses to better see through the microscope. "Exactly how many eggs do you have prepared, Michael?"

"Six, sir."

"Very good. Let's do two from each of our sperm donors. When it's time to place the womb, we can do a selective reduction down to the one most viable embryo." Davidson picked up the pictures he'd taken of the three unconscious men. "Then we'll know just who had the strongest genes."

* * *

><p><strong>an -Still with me? The chapters will vary widely in length, today's is short, but that's just where it needed to break. Heading off to the toy store after I post, it's my grandbaby's birthday party. Not really a baby any more, she'll be turning three on Monday. Wow, how time flies.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Week Three_

Every morning since the kidnapping, the team met in Vance's office to review the previous day's search and check for any activity on the main BOLO's they'd issued. Each day Vance dreaded the morning more and more as the leads dried up and they came closer to the three week timeline before McGee would be forced to undergo life-altering surgery. Today was day twenty-one. If Kort was right with his dates, then they'd run out of time.

Even Kort was subdued as he reported what little he had. "One of the accounts Davidson had access to was used two days ago to buy an assortment of fresh, organic food. The store is near the major highway interchange outside of Harrisburg, so no clue as to where they went from there. I've got men staking out the place now. On the off chance that they go back for more groceries, we should be able to track them."

Gibbs stood and leaned over the table. "And it took your people two days to tell us?"

"Holiday weekend, Gibbs. Small store, it didn't post until this morning."

Needing to prevent a fight, Vance changed the subject. "Miss Sciuto, do you have anything new for us?"

"I've run out of evidence to test, I need more evidence." After three weeks of living on Caf-Pow!, Abby was a jittery mess as she bounced in her chair.

Tony was thinking about what Vance had said. "Does the store have cameras?"

"Nope, it's a farmer's co-op. Popular with the Amish, but not heavy on the modern amenities.

"How could they drive these and not be noticed?" Frustrated, Ziva picked up the photos Kort had given them of the plain, flat black trucks Davidson used to transport his mobile lab.

Tony grabbed her arm to look at the pictures again. "Yeah, they do scream government vehicle. You'd think at least the conspiracy nuts would be noticing these on the highway."

"What if they looked different?" It was Abby's turn to grab Ziva's arm for a better look. "This cousin of a friend of mine does these big decals for buses."

"It's worth a shot." Gibbs nodded to Tony and Ziva, giving them the go-ahead to start checking Abby's idea. It was a long shot, but would keep them occupied for a few hours at least.

-NCIS-

"This is the last stitch, loosen the clamps, please." Davidson watched closely as the blood flowed into the womb for the first time. "Good, very good. The artery is holding up well, the modifications seem to be working. Let's close him up and continue to monitor. We will keep him in a medically induced coma until the incisions have healed and the womb has stabilized."

"Excellent, doctor. I've reviewed Agent McGee's psychological profile. He has a strong desire for a family in addition to an emotional bond to the donor."

"Very good, Michael, that lessens the likelihood he will try to injure himself once he's been convinced that what's happened is real."

-NCIS-

_Week Seven _

The leads had dried up weeks ago, but no one on the team was willing to give up the morning briefings just yet, even when Fornell was forced to move onto other cases and Kort started calling in his reports as he continued to track Davidson. Today, however, when they moved to break, Vance cleared his throat and waved them back down.

"I want you all to know that Agent McGee's apartment will be packed up later today." He held up a hand to forestall the objections he could see forming. "The agency has been paying the rent, but the lease is up and without Tim here to sign a new lease, my hands are tied and his family is convinced that he's dead. Everything will be placed in storage until... well, until we know. Pamela will be meeting the movers there at noon."

"No." Gibbs looked around at the remnants of his team, seeing the same grief on their faces. "We'll do it, we owe him that much."

-NCIS-

"Good morning, Timothy, how are you feeling?"

Looking pale and tired, McGee glared at the figure standing just out of his reach as he rubbed his neck, raw from the heavy ring. "Well, let's see, I've been kidnapped, held for who knows how long. I've been surgically experimented on and now I'm literally chained to a bed in your lab. How do you think I feel?"

Davidson smiled at the show of anger, which just infuriated McGee even more. "Damn it, what in the hell did you do to me? I have a right to know."

"Yes, you do, and it's time we showed you." Davidson stepped to the side and allowed one of his assistants to come closer, wheeling a piece of equipment. Tim recognized it as an ultrasound machine. "Lay down, Timothy. Otherwise we will just sedate you."

Knowing how limited his options were, Tim laid back down, trying not to react as the impersonal hands tugged his pajamas down to expose his entire abdomen. There was the squirt of cold gel and he turned his head to watch the screen. The metal framework he could feel inside him was the first to show, but as the technician adjusted the dials, the organic material it contained became visible. Tim lifted his head to look closer. "That looks like, no, it can't be."

"Yes, Timothy, that is your child." Davidson smiled as he watched the stunned expression while the technician pointed out the tiny beating heart. She cheerfully printed out a copy of the image before she covered him back up and wheeled the machine out of the room.

Ignoring Davidson, Tim rolled onto his side and pulled the sheet up to his face. He knew he wasn't alone, hadn't been alone for a moment of his captivity, but at least he didn't have to see the looks on their faces when the tears finally came.

-NCIS-

_Week fifteen _

They no longer met every day in Vance's office, but Gibbs brought Abby a Caf-Pow! every morning and stood in front of the pregnancy chart she'd mounted on the wall. He reached out and traced over the drawing of a woman, her belly just starting to show. "He worked so hard to lose the extra weight and now he has to face this."

Abby leaned her head against Gibbs' shoulder. "Tell me he's going to be all right, Gibbs."

Gibbs turned enough to kiss her head. "He's strong, Abs. Stronger than most people realize. He might not be a jock, but he's strong here and here." Gibbs thumped his own head and chest to make his point. "And that's where it counts."

Abby was about to ask if that was enough when Gibbs' phone rang. He listened without saying a word. Once he hung up, he tugged her towards the door. "Kort's here. He thinks he found something."

-NCIS-

"Sir, don't you think we should be moving again?" Michael leaned against the office doorway, watching his mentor. Davidson waved in his general direction but didn't look up from the monitor he was studying.

"Yes, yes, we will be found here. You take the rest of the crew and move on to the next safe house."

"You want to be captured, sir?"

"Look at him." Michael came in at Davidson's request and leaned down to see the image on the screen. McGee was sitting up on the bed, one hand protectively over his slightly swollen belly as he read the pregnancy book Donaldson had given him.

"Okay, so he's reading."

"It is more than that, my friend. He is actively engaged in the pregnancy. He has seen every ultrasound, he has heard his child's heartbeat. He won't willingly destroy it now, which means they will have to acknowledge my work. But first, they must see it. The next phase is yours, Michael. It is time for Timothy and I to return to the loving bosom of our handlers. I will enjoy watching them deal with what they have helped me create."

-NCIS-

Kort came right to the point. "Do you remember Siravo's horse ranch?"

"Don't think we'll ever forget that one, Kort." The sarcasm was thick in Vance's words. It had galled him to no end when Kort had roped his agency into tracking down a man in a coma so that the CIA could seize over three hundred million dollars his identity stealing accountant had accumulated.

Gibbs had even less patience. "What about it?"

"All of a sudden, it's using a lot of electricity, so I did some checking." Kort tossed several photos on Vance's desk. The aerial photos showed the missing semis parked between the large trees.

"Let's move, people." Even the Director followed Gibbs out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>an - Tomorrow, the rescue.**


	5. Chapter 5

Backed up by over a dozen of their own agents, plus a score from the CIA, they carefully surrounded the main house. As smaller groups radioed in, having cleared the various outbuilding, they prepared to storm the house. Gibbs kicked in the front door as he announced himself, Vance to his left, Tony to his right. Dr. Davidson was sitting in a wing-back chair, sipping a cup of tea.

"Ah, the fathers, right on time."

"Hands where we can see them, Davidson. Where is he?"

"Gibbs, over here." Ziva and Kort had come through the back door and were doing a sweep of the house. As soon as Davidson was secured by other agents, the three men joined her in front of a locked door. She already had her lock picks out and was working on the deadbolt. When the door swung open, they advanced, guns at the ready.

Moving past a tall bookcase filled with medical equipment and into the windowless room, Gibbs had his first look at their missing man. Sitting up on the hospital bed, with his arms draped over his drawn up knees, he looked pale and frightened. A heavy metal collar around his neck tethered him to a chain that eliminated any hope of escape.

Gibbs holstered his gun as he moved closer. "Hey, Tim, it's good to see you." Tim gave a short nod and Gibbs cautiously sat on the edge of the bed, reaching between Tim's body and his raised knees to rest his hand on the slightly protruding belly. "Oh, Tim."

"I couldn't stop them, Boss."

"I know. I'm sorry we didn't find you in time."

Tim shifted to lay his hand on his stomach, next to Gibbs'. "It's not so bad, really. The jewelry kinda sucks, though."

"Yeah, I bet it does." Gibbs wrapped his other arm around Tim and pulled him closer, wincing at the raw skin on his neck. "Let's see what it's going to take to get this off of you."

Ziva took that as her cue and moved closer to examine the welded collar and chain. That seemed to shake Vance loose from his shock and he moved to the other side of the bed, while Tony stayed a step behind him.

"How are you doing, Agent McGee?" Vance wanted to kick himself the moment he spoke. This was a man that quite possibly was carrying his child.

"I'm not exactly sure, sir. Does our insurance cover male pregnancy?"

Vance chuckled at the attempt to lighten the mood. "I think you're covered under the mad scientist clause, Tim."

"That's good to know." McGee looked up for a second before ducking his head back down. "I heard them talking, they knew they'd been discovered. They wanted you to find me, to see what he'd done to me."

Gibbs continued to hold onto him. "That's okay, McGee, it means we can get you the best medical care out there."

"Yeah, Probie, they'll get that taken care of and you'll be back to your old self before you know it."

Tim straightened up and looked past Vance. "No, Tony, I've got at least another twenty weeks to go, hopefully longer."

Tony didn't have to look to know the glare he was getting, but he needed to remind his friend of his options. "Nobody is going to make you go through with this, Tim."

"No, nobody is going to hurt my baby."

It was a potentially awkward moment, but Ziva interrupted them. "The chain goes through the wall. Tony, would you come help me?"

After they left, Gibbs turned his attention back to Tim, who had become very quiet. "Tony's having a hard time wrapping his mind around this, but the final decision will be yours, Tim, alright?"

"Thanks, Boss."

"Absolutely." Vance had mixed feeling, but he did understand DiNozzo's reluctance. "However, we want you to listen very carefully to what the doctors at Bethesda have to say. You're not the first man he's experimented on, McGee, and all the rest died before their babies were close to term."

Instead of answering right away, Tim leaned over, reaching for the nightstand. Gibbs saw what he wanted and opened the drawer, finding a paperback book. It was the current edition of the same book he and Shannon had poured over many years ago. He handed the book to Tim, who held it against his chest as he began to speak.

"The first time I woke up, I was in a little room with a glass wall. I think it was in some sort of truck or a trailer because sometimes I could feel movement. There was one of those portable chemical toilets in the corner and a case of water bottles next to the bed. Every time they needed to do something to me, they'd gas the room. I'd wake up and I'd have a new puncture mark on my arm, or I'd be in different pajama bottoms."

"How long did they keep you in the trailer?"

Tim thought about it, then shook his head. "I'm not sure but it seemed like a long time. The last time they gassed me, I woke up in a real room with a real bed. This was on me." His hand fluttered up to the thick metal band that encircled his neck. "That's when they operated on me, too, but by the time they let me wake up, the incision had completely healed."

"Did you wake up in this room?"

"No, this is the third room I've been in. They'd put me under and I'd wake up someplace different. I could have been moved cross-country or across the hall, I have no idea. I didn't even know what they'd done to me until they showed me this." Tim opened the book and took out the first of a stack of ultrasound pictures. "Look at the top. It gives the date and the gestational week. I know that today is Tuesday because they do an ultrasound every Friday."

Tim fanned the pictures out over the book, smiling as he touched the image of the fetus in one of them. "Look at the way my baby is growing."

Gibbs picked up one of the photos. "Do you know what it is yet?"

"No, not yet." Tim sighed and chewed his lip before looked up at Gibbs again. "I know I should have tried harder to get away, but..."

Vance cut in, shaking his head. They had taken everything away from McGee, even his sense of time, and had only left him their science experiment to hold onto. It was no wonder he was so protective of the fetus. "Nothing you could have done. The fact that they welded that collar onto you shows how serious they were about about holding you."

"And now we have you free." Ziva came through the door and walked over to where the chain went through the wall, between her pulling and Tony feeding it through from the other side, they had all of the chain quickly freed and Tony joined them. They made an interesting procession out of the house, with Gibbs and Vance supporting the weakened man on both sides, while Tony and Ziva followed behind carrying the rolled up chain.

As they passed Davidson and Kort, the handcuffed man called out, smirking. "You will send me a birth announcement, won't you?" Gibbs wanted to hit him, but seeing Kort shove him into an agency car was the next best thing.

Once Davidson was out of view, McGee stopped, concerning Gibbs. "Tim, are you all right?"

Tim closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "It's been a long time since I've felt the sun. I've missed it."

* * *

><p><strong>an - and so it begins. Thanks for all the wonderful comments, I'm glad you're liking this one.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." Abby's near hysteria was getting to the nurses setting up for their incoming patient, so Ducky tried to distract her.

"Abigail, my dear, perhaps it would be better if you took a brief walk and burned off some of this energy." As he spoke, he tugged her part way down the hall. "In fact, why don't you and Mr. Palmer go fetch some coffee? I'm sure Jethro will appreciate that when he arrives."

She stared at him, green eyes wide. "Ducky, I can't leave. I have to be here when McGee gets here."

Jimmy decided to be brave and try. "Abby, being rescued after all this time is probably pretty overwhelming and he's going to have a lot of doctors checking him over."

"Exactly, which is why he needs to see a familiar face."

Any other argument they could have come up with was rendered moot when the elevator doors opened. There was more medical personnel, but in the middle of the group was a wheelchair bound McGee surrounded by the team and Vance. As soon as she saw him, Abby went running over, but like when Ziva was rescued from Somalia, her hug was very gentle.

"Welcome home, McGee."

"Thanks, Abby."

Anything else that might have been said had to wait as McGee was taken into the exam room and only Ducky was allowed to join him.

-NCIS-

Gibbs and Vance both collapsed into the nearest chairs while Tony began to pace. Ziva withdrew to lean against the wall, out of their way and Abby moved to join her. "Tell me."

"It was bad, Abby. You saw the collar and the chain." Abby nodded but didn't interrupt Ziva. "He has been chained to something since they operated on him. Before that, he was basically kept in a cage."

This time Abby let out a whimper and Ziva took her hand. "He is free now, and we will help him get through this."

"What about them?" Abby tilted her head at the three potential fathers in the waiting room.

Ziva thought for a moment, unsure of how much to reveal. "Tony is still... uncomfortable with all of it.

"Yeah, he was pretty freaked out when he saw John and Baby Doe."

In truth, all three men had been deeply troubled seeing the physical proof of why they'd been taken, but it was Gibbs' reaction that haunted Abby most of all. He'd stood over the tiny body silently for almost an hour before going home and building a small coffin. Eventually the CIA returned for the two bodies, but Gibbs argued until Kort agreed to let NCIS handle the final disposition. Ducky had called in some favors and a quiet corner of a private cemetery became their final resting place with a simple ceremony attended by only himself, the Vance's, Gibbs and Abby. Afterward, Ducky had only shaken his head at Abby when he took Gibbs home and the entire event had become a forbidden subject.

The door opened and Ducky poked his head in. "Jethro, could you assist us for a moment?" Gibbs was instantly on his feet and following Ducky before any of the others could react. Ducky explained as he threaded their way past the crowded corridor and into the room. "They are attempting to cut off the collar, and it has Timothy quite stressed."

Once inside the room, Gibbs immediately saw what the problem was. To protect him from the sparks, he'd been covered with heavy pads, blocking out light, but not sound. Gibbs immediately stepped close and lifted the pad that was covering Tim's head, holding it at an angle to still protect him while allowing him to see.

"That better?"

"Thanks, Boss." Tim was laying on his side, a pillow shoved under his head. The screech of the metal blade started again and he visibly flinched, so Gibbs reached down and pressed a hand against his exposed ear, hoping to muffle the sound. It apparently helped, as McGee immediately relaxed.

As soon as the cut was finished, Gibbs pulled the pad off that covered Tim's head and tossed it to the side before helping to bend the collar enough to slip it off his neck. He winced at the raw spots from where the collar had rubbed, as the medical staff prepared to move McGee.

One of the doctors bent over to address Tim. "Mr. McGee, we're going to take you up for a CAT scan now."

Tim shook his head. "Wait, is that safe for the baby?"

They ignored him as they continued to work, at least until Gibbs gave a shrill whistle. "Hey, he asked you a question."

Ducky answered while the rest kept working. "It's only recommended when absolutely necessary, Timothy, and we feel that right now it is necessary."

"Why?" Tim had his arms wrapped protectively around his middle as he stared at Ducky. The older man realized how important this was to McGee and patiently explained their primary worry.

"In their last attempt, the artery that was used to provide the blood source for the womb and the fetus did not hold up under the strain. It's important that we determine if the artery wall is able to support the splice Davidson placed in it."

"If it's not, you can fix it, right?"

Ducky blinked at the determination he heard in Tim's voice. He hadn't realized how strongly McGee felt about continuing the pregnancy. "One thing at a time, lad, let's see what condition you both are in." Tim calmed down and Ducky turned to Gibbs. "This will take several hours, Jethro. Why don't you grab yourself some lunch, take a break. By then, we should have Timothy settled into a room."

Gibbs knew he couldn't go into the CAT scan room with McGee. "All right, but you'll come get me if he needs anything?" After Ducky agreed, he bent down to whisper in Tim's ear. "I won't be far, I promise."

-NCIS-

The rest of the group was already bunched around a table when Gibbs joined them with his own tray and Abby was arguing with Vance. She immediately turned to Gibbs for help. "I want to stay here for Timmy, Gibbs."

Not knowing what the discussion was about, he turned to Vance who explained. "We retrieved a lot of files that Davidson's people left behind, but everything's encrypted."

Gibbs understood what was needed and turned Abby to face him as he made her understand. "We need those files, Abs."

"Well, yeah, but..."

"No buts. He's going to undergoing hours of tests, tests he might not need if we can read those files." When he saw the beginnings of understanding on her face, he reminded her of something very important. "McGee is a very private person. Do you think he'd want the guys down in cybercrimes to be the ones cracking and reading those files?"

"I just don't want him to be alone, Gibbs. You'll promise me somebody will be with him?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Abs. Palmer, go back with Abby and give her a hand."

Jimmy's head popped up and he nervously nodded before standing. Vance picked his coat up at the same time. "SecNav wants an update."

Gibbs started unwrapping his turkey sandwich. "Don't envy you that one, Leon."

Vance slipped his arms into his topcoat before leaning closer to Gibbs. "Actually, it's telling Jackie that's not going to be fun."

"Better do it before the kids get home."

With a glance at his watch and a muffled curse, Vance beat Abby and Jimmy out the door.

-NCIS-

"Hi, honey."

"Leon." She was chopping onions again. He wasn't sure if it was a sensory memory of her own cravings when she'd been pregnant, or a way to excuse the tears he'd seen far too often these last few months. "You're home early, is there any..."

Her voice trailed off as she looked up and saw the expression on his face. Pursing his lips together, Leon came up behind her and wrapped his arms around his middle. "We found him, Jackie."

"Alive?"

He bent down and kissed her shoulder. "Yeah."

"And..."

Another kiss. "Yeah."

Jackie leaned heavily against the counter. "Is it yours?"

This time he just pressed his forehead against the back of her head. "We don't know yet."

-NCIS-

Ziva found Tony sitting on a bench outside. He didn't look up when she sat down. "Are they done examining him yet?"

"Gibbs has been festering them, and..."

"Pestering, Ziva, it's pestering."

"Oh, of course." Her smile made him wonder if it had been deliberate. "Anyway, they told him that McGee would be in a room in about thirty minutes."

Pushing on his knees, Tony levered himself up. "Well, I guess we should be getting back, then."

"Tony?"

He just shook his head and walked back inside.

-NCIS-

"Hey, how you doing?" Gibbs softly crossed the room, taking in McGee's obvious withdrawn demeanor.

Tim just shrugged, so Gibbs tried again. "They tell me that the problems from last time aren't showing up this time, that's good, right?"

"Dr. Davidson said they'd fixed the problem." Tim opened his mouth several times but didn't say anything, so Gibbs waited until he did. "Why did you rescue me?"

"What?"

"I guess technically you didn't rescue me, just moved me from one prison to another."

"You're not a prisoner, McGee."

"Aren't I?" Tim moved his arms enough for the blankets to shift, showing the tube going down to a bag strapped to the side of the bed. "At least before I was allowed to walk around in my cell, now I'm tied to the bed with a catheter shoved in me. Instead of an obstetrician, they're sending up a psychiatrist since the fact that I want to keep my baby obviously means that I've been brainwashed."

"Tim..." Gibbs sat down in the closest chair but McGee didn't give him a chance to say anything else.

"It's my body, Gibbs. It's my choice, and as long as there's any chance at all of carrying this baby long enough for it to survive, then that's what I'm going to do. I have the right to not be badgered into doing what someone else wants just because this makes them uncomfortable." If McGee was expecting Gibbs to chastise him for standing up for himself, Gibbs turned the tables on him.

"You're right, you're absolutely right, Tim. So, let's get somebody in here to explain themselves." Gibbs marched to the door and threw it open, startling the nurse walking past. He pointed at her. "You, go get his doctor right now."

Once she scurried off, Gibbs pulled out his phone and called Ducky, barking out orders the moment he heard the call go through. "Need you in McGee's room now."

Tim smiled for the first time since he'd arrived at the hospital. "Thanks, Boss."

Gibbs just gave him the one shouldered shrug they'd all come to recognize as a sign of silent self-pride in the older man. "Have they fed you yet?"

"Nope."

A slightly smashed, plastic wrapped, half of a turkey sandwich appeared in Gibbs' hand. "Here."


	7. Chapter 7

"Mr. McGee, you shouldn't be eating before your surgery." The doctor followed the nurse into Tim's room.

"And just what surgery would that be?"

Young and blonde, the doctor didn't seem to know who Jethro Gibbs was and he didn't recognize the danger that drawl represented.

"As I have repeatedly explained to Mr. McGee, the sooner we remove the device from his body, the sooner he can on the road to recover."

Gibbs had been edging forward and was now toe to toe with the man. "It's Agent McGee, and just who in the hell are you?"

"I'm Dr. Anderson and I'm Agent McGee's physician."

"You an obstetrician?" Familiar faces were streaming into the room, but Gibbs barely glanced at them.

Anderson seemed surprised at the question. "Of course not, why would you think that I'm a..."

"Maybe because your patient is pregnant?" The sarcastic voice stopped the argument and Anderson turned to look at the figure leaning against the doorway. "Hey, Boss, hey, McGee. Vance is right behind me. We figured it was time for a meeting of the fathers. Looks like we're right on time, too."

"Is there a problem, Gentlemen?" 'Right behind' apparently meant 'stepping on my heels', as Vance stepped in right behind Tony. He wasn't alone because Jarvis was the next one through the door.

"If there is, I'd certainly like to know about it."

Anderson recognized the new Secretary of the Navy. "Sir, I am just trying to protect my patient's rights. He has been the victim of a horrific experiment and I'm sure I don't have to tell you how much his human rights have been violated in the process. It's my duty to make sure that he's not bullied or brainwashed into feeling obligated to continue the experiment."

"Duly noted. However, the bullying goes both ways and Agent McGee will not be making any decision either way tonight." Opinion stated, Jarvis looked around for any objections.

"I do apologize for my tardiness, but I felt this was most important." Ducky was slightly out of breath as he walked through the door, a short, plump woman in a lab coat behind him.

Gibbs could have head smacked the older man for his delay. "Where ya' been, Duck?"

"Jethro, may I introduce Dr. Patricia Hughes, Head of Obstetrics here at Bethesda. I felt it was pertinent that she be brought up to speed as quickly as possible. I've also spoken to the Chief of Staff and had Timothy's case officially transferred from Internal Medicine to the Obstetrics Department."

Anderson shook his head and turned towards the door. "Good luck, Patty. Maybe you'll have better luck making him see reality."

"Hey." He stopped at the barked yell from Gibbs. "We called you in here so that he can lose the catheter."

The frustrated doctor looked at his coworker, hoping she would side with him on the necessity of the device. Dr. Hughes just grinned. "If Agent McGee can shoot a gun, I'm sure he can pee in a cup if I need him to. We could remove it upstairs, but let's face it, my girls don't get the chance to work on many boy parts."

Jarvis stepped out and the three fathers moved back to allow enough privacy as the hated catheter was removed. Once that was done, Anderson couldn't leave the room fast enough and Dr. Hughes patted Tim's knee. "All right, young man, we're going to get you moved upstairs now and put you in a private room right next to the section for our active OB cases."

"Why can't I just go home?" Realizing the time that had passed since his capture, he turned to look at Gibbs. "Do I even have a home anymore, Boss?"

Gibbs had been waiting for the question. "The lease expired on your apartment while you were missing, but you didn't lose anything. The big stuff's in storage, and the rest is at my place." He turned to the doctor with his own version of the question. "Got a room all ready for him, so why can't he leave?"

"Let's take tonight to make sure your baby is all right, Agent McGee. Tonight we want you to rest and in the morning we'll do a full exam to establish a base line. If everything look good, I'll be happy to discharge you then. We will obviously need to monitor you very closely and admit you well before the end of your pregnancy, but I don't see why you can't live as normally as possible in the meantime."

Tim visibly relaxed at the change in tone with the change in doctors. "Okay."

Gibbs was happier, but not totally convinced. "Can we at least give him something to eat?"

Patty wasn't the least bit offended by the question. "Obstetrics is the one department where patients can get a hot meal, 24/7. Dinner will be waiting for you upstairs."

-NCIS-

The move upstairs was easily made and, as promised, a tray of food was waiting for McGee. Jarvis asked for a moment with the patient before the rest of them went in. Vance agreed immediately and the rest went along reluctantly.

Once they were alone, Jarvis pulled a chair close and sat next to the bed. "You've become, literally, the living embodiment of what could become normal in a few years. Have you thought about how private you want this to be?"

"I don't want the press involved at all, sir. I just want to be able to raise my child in peace, not as a target for the paparazzi."

"That's probably for the best. Probably make the CIA a little happier about the whole thing, too."

"Are they going to cause problems, sir?"

Jarvis had a slight smile. "I spoke to their director earlier today and we've come to an understanding. As long as they can assure your safety, everyone stays quiet. Anything goes wrong, and all bets are off. That should prevent any of their more overeager specialists from trying to clean up, so to speak."

Tim instantly paled. "I hadn't even thought about that."

"You let us worry about it." SecNav stood and patted McGee's arm. "You just concentrate on yourself and getting through these next few months."

"Do you think I'm being foolish, wanting to continue the pregnancy?"

Jarvis sat back down and thought for a moment before he gave his answer. "My wife spent many years working to help protect a woman's right to choose. If this is your choice, then I have to support it – otherwise, she'd kick my butt."

Tim laughed and almost choked on his glass of milk as Jarvis stood again. He made it to the door before turning around. "I've also informed the CIA that you will be receiving monthly child support payments from them. It's the least they can do, and considering how they made your team do all the work to seize Siravo's money, they can afford it. Now, do me a favor and go easy on Leon. This has put him in an awkward spot."

McGee did know that, but before he could say anything, Jarvis was gone and Vance was standing in the doorway. "Director Vance."

"Agent McGee." Mentally, Vance kicked himself again. Hiding behind formality wasn't going to help them sort out the possibilities. He moved closer to the bed. "Tim, how are you doing?"

"Better, now that I'm up here." Tim took a deep breath and jumped in. "Director, I want you to know that I understand how uncomfortable this must be for you and for your wife. I'm not asking or expecting anything from you."

"Tim..."

"I mean, when I finally understood what they had done to me and I decided that I was going to keep the baby, I made the decision understanding that I was going to be a single parent. You, Tony and Gibbs had no choice in the matter, I won't force this on any of you."

"You weren't given a choice, either."

Tim shrugged. "No, not at first, but now I do and I've made my choice. I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't cause you any problems."

"It's not a problem, it's a baby, and if it's mine, I don't think I can just turn my back, no matter how difficult it may be." Tim looked stunned and Leon had to smile just a bit. "I'll let you finish your dinner and rest, but I just wanted you to know that you're not alone in this."

Tim hadn't felt alone since Gibbs had walked into the lab, but it was still nice to hear. "Thank you."

* * *

><p><strong>an - Details. Yes, that was a hint. Thank you for all the wonderful comments. I especially want to thank those that dont' normally read Mpreg, but are giving this one a chance. The fact that you are willing to step out of your comfort zone based on your opinion of my writing skills is the greatest compliment I can imagine, so thank you ever so much.**


	8. Chapter 8

Gibbs found Tony staring out a window at the night sky. "You okay?"

"I'm not the one you should be asking."

"Affects us all, one of us is going to be the father of that kid."

"And what happens, then?" Finally giving in to his frustration, DiNozzo spun around. "Maybe it doesn't bother you, but I'm not looking forward to introducing McGeek to my next girlfriend as the mother of my child."

Gibbs hitched his hip up on the window sill. "Is he asking you to?"

"No, not yet. Kid deserves two parents, though." Shrugging, Tony leaned his shoulder against the cold glass.

"Single dad, he might catch the attention of some pretty young thing." Gibbs looked at enthused about that prospect as Tony.

"A stepmom that considered the kid an afterthought? That sucks, believe me, I know." He looked closer at Gibbs. "You'd really be okay with it being yours, wouldn't you?"

There was a wistful look before Gibbs turned to look out the window. "Been a long time since anybody's called me daddy."

-NCIS-

"This all of them?" Patricia Hughes looked at the three men before returning her attention to Ducky. When he nodded she pulled a device out of her pocket. "Tim needs his rest, but before I chase everyone out for the night, I thought you might like to take a listen."

Tim's belly was exposed, the new scar still bright red. He seemed relaxed and she placed one end of the device on his skin, the cord stretching back to the speaker in her other hand. It took her just a moment and a rapid whooshing sound filled the room. Gibbs and Vance smiled in recognition, while Tony wasn't sure.

"Is that?"

"The baby's heartbeat."

Tony's attention kept bouncing between the sound and the doctor. "It's really fast, is it supposed to be that fast?"

She smiled at the question she'd heard so many times over the years. "It's right where we want it to be." Letting them listen for a bit longer, she was slow to pull the fetal doppler away.

Tim was obviously exhausted and as soon as he was covered back up, they all slipped out of the room. Tony was staring at the now closed door and jumped when a hand rested on his back. He shook his head at Gibbs. "Wow, it didn't seem real before, you know?"

"It's real, Tony, very real." Gibbs had conned a cup of coffee from the nurses and headed back inside the room just as Dr. Hughes came around the corner.

"I thought I sent all of you home."

"He's staying. Besides, Tim will probably sleep better with him here."

-NCIS-

Leon Vance had one more duty to fulfill before he could finally put the day behind him. Returning to the office where he would be alone, he made a phone call he'd been dreading since the moment of the rescue. It was late enough in California that he knew Admiral McGee would also be alone in his office. The phone rang twice before it was answered by a gruff voice.

_This is Admiral McGee speaking._

"Admiral, it's Leon Vance. Tim was successfully rescued earlier today."

_Thank God. Has the removal of the device taken place yet?_

"Sir, your son has opted not to terminate."

_He's been a prisoner for months, he's not in his right mind, obviously. Override his decision and get that monstrosity out of my son before it kills him._

"I'm sorry, we can't do that." As Vance had suspected, it was getting ugly, quickly.

_You mean, you won't. Fine, I'll go to court, establish legal guardianship until Timmy is thinking clearly again_.

"He's thinking quite clearly and I would highly recommend against such an action. He will need your support, not your condemnation."

_What he needs is to have that science experiment ended before it destroys his life._

Before Vance could think of a way to convince the man, he was speaking to a dial tone.

-NCIS-

As he'd suspected, it was less than an hour before McGee woke, not knowing where he was. Gibbs reached out and laid a hand on Tim's arm. "Easy, McGee, you're safe."

"Boss?"

"Yeah, Tim." Gibbs straightened out the blankets before he sat back, smiling as Tim instinctively rubbed his hand over his bump. "You're both safe." Gibbs found his hand resting on Tim's. "I give you my word."

Tim easily went back to sleep and Gibbs continued to watch him in the soft light.

-NCIS-

Vance didn't turn on any lights as he crept into the bedroom, but Jackie woke anyways. "Sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay, how's he doing?" Her sleepy voice made him smile.

"Surprisingly good." Vance quickly stripped down to his boxers and joined her on the bed. "But things could get pretty difficult real soon."

Jackie rolled onto her side to face her husband. "Why, what's happened?"

"His father's threatening to go to court, claim that he was mentally damaged by the ordeal."

Now wide awake, she raised up on one arm. "What good would that do him?"

Leon couldn't quite hide his anger. "If he has him declared incompetent, he could be named Tim's legal guardian and authorize the removal of the womb and fetus."

"That's Tim's decision to make. We can't let the Admiral do that, Leon."

"Don't worry, Jackie. I'll get the legal department on it first thing in the morning." He kissed her forehead as she settled against him. "Hopefully his dad will calm down and see reason. Tim doesn't need the stress."

-NCIS-

"Good morning, Abby, have you been here all night?" Ziva arrived in the lab to find the Goth in full whirlwind mode.

Abby flew by, grabbing the Caf-Pow! Ziva held out for her. "There's like Gigabytes of data that's all encrypted, Ziva, and it's all important to make sure Timmy has a healthy baby. Then there's all the lab equipment that got logged in as evidence. Some of it I don't even know what it's used for and some of it's been modified especially for McGee. They can't even give him an ultrasound until I figure out how to get a clear image through the synthetics and I can't send this ultrasound machine over there until we're done with it because that might mess up the case and then McGee and Mini-McGee might not be safe and..."

Ziva managed to catch her on her third pass. "Abby, Abby, slow down. Now, what is the most important?"

"The files, but like I said, they're encrypted, like super duper heavy duty encrypted. The kind of encryption that would have McGee tearing out his hair if he were here, but he's not and..."

"And you will do your best." Ziva laid her hands on Abby's cheeks. "McGee is doing fine, the baby is doing fine. They are being released from the hospital later today. That is a good thing, yes?"

Abby grinned at the reminder. "Yeah, it's a very good thing."

-NCIS-

"Hey, Boss." Tony stuck his head in through the door before coming in the room, lugging a duffel bag. "I brought McGee some clothes like you asked. Hey, McGee, you're awake."

McGee ate a spoonful of oatmeal before waving his spoon in greeting as he swallowed it down. "Thanks, Tony."

"No problem." Remembering the message he'd been given, Tony turned to Gibbs. "Director wants to talk to you ASAP."

Gibbs glanced over at the widening green eyes behind Tony. "He say what it was about?" When Tony shook his head, Gibbs made a decision.

"All right, I'm going to go get a decent cup of coffee and give him a call. Tony, can you stay here until I get back?"

"Sure, Boss." Once Gibbs was gone, Tony sprawled in the chair by the bed. When McGee pushed the tray table back, his baby bump was visible. The question popped out before he could stop it. "Can you feel it?"

Tim didn't pretend to not know what he was talking about. "When I turn a certain way, I can feel like a pressure from the edge of the artificial womb, but I've pretty much gotten used to it."

"What about the baby, can you feel it kicking?"

"Not yet, but neither would a woman at this stage." Tim studied his friend. "This really freaks you out, doesn't it?"

Tony couldn't quite pull off the nonchalant as well as he was hoping. "No, well... maybe a little. Listening to the heartbeat last night was pretty cool, though."

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" Tim beamed as he thought about it. "There's a little person growing inside me, Tony, and that's really cool."

Falling silent, Tony continued to stare at McGee's midsection. Tim could tell his friend was working up to something, so he waited. Eventually, Tony started speaking, still staring at Tim's belly. "It wasn't real until last night, you know? I mean, you're really having a baby."

"I know. I would have never believed it if I hadn't seen the ultrasound when they told me." Tim rubbed his bump as he watched Tony's reaction. "You don't want to become a father this way."

Tony winced at how it sounded. "I know I shouldn't care about what people think, but..."

"But two men having a child together pretty much screams gay couple and that's kinda hard to explain to any women you're hoping to date. Believe me, I understand. I've had a lot of time to think about this." Tim waited until Tony looked up at him. "I'm not asking for anything from the biological father. I had the right to stop this after I was rescued, but it was my choice to continue. You guys weren't willing participants and I'm not going to force this on any of you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not the first single father in the world, even if I'm the first to have it happen this way and I'd rather have a supportive friend than a father I've forced into the situation."

"Thanks, man. I guess I just need more time to really wrap my head around it, you know? Besides, there's three of us in the running, so..."

Not liking the faint smell of the oatmeal, Tim moved the tray further away. "Yeah, it'll be really hard on Mrs. Vance and their kids if it turns out to be him, but Gibbs seems really okay with it."

Tony couldn't help but notice the slight smile that crossed McGee's face at the mention of Gibbs, but a nurse bustled in before he could tease the younger man.

"Here we go, sweetie. I've marked your chart about the bananas, but let's see if this sits a little better." She set a bowl of orange wedges on the table and took the breakfast tray.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Bananas?"

"Most of the morning sickness is getting better, but just the smell of bananas make me puke." Tim started to glare at Tony's calculating grin, but his salvation came through the door.

"Don't even think about it, DiNozzo."

"Of course not, Boss." Tony instinctively rubbed the back of his head, even though Gibbs was still across the room from him while Tim snickered and started eating the orange.

Dr. Hughes came in just as McGee was finishing. "Well, Tim, the nurses tell me you had a restful night, so we're going to do a quick check and let you get out of here. I'll be spending the rest of the day at the Navy Yard working with Dr. Mallard and Miss Sciuto, so I'll be close if you need me."

Tony made his excuses and quickly left before the exam started, but Gibbs moved closer and watched intently as she palpitated the skin over his abdomen.

"Well?"

She pulled the sheet back up before turning around. "As far as I can tell, everything appears to be fine. We're definitely in uncharted waters here, so the sooner I can study Davidson's research, the better."

Once she'd left, Tim turned to Gibbs. "We're going to the Yard?"

Gibbs wasn't surprised that McGee had picked up on her comment about being close. "For a little while, we have a meeting with legal."

"Why?" Tim set aside the sweatshirt he was going to wear and replaced it with a sweater from the bag. "Is the case moving that fast?"

Gibbs helped Tim thread his legs through a pair of drawstring pants, so he wouldn't have to bend over. "There's a situation developing with your father."

"He knows? Let me guess, he's embarrassed about having a pregnant son."

"More like he's convinced that you're not able to make the proper decisions right now."

"Proper as in what he wants, in other words. I'm an adult, there's nothing he can do about it."

Gibbs hated to do this. "Unless he convinces a judge that you're incapable of making an informed decision."

"What?" Tim sat on the edge of the bed, barely remembering to pull the sweater on the rest of the way. "You think he's actually going to try something like that?"

"I'm sorry, McGee, his lawyer filed the petition this morning."

"Crap." Tim dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his forehead. "He's always been a 'my way or the highway' kind of guy, but I thought that was over when I turned eighteen.

Gibbs dropped down onto one knee so he could see McGee's face. "Hey, you're not alone. We're not going to let anyone take your choices away from you, okay?"

* * *

><p><strong>an - I'm working on chapter 12, so I'm starting to catch up with myself. Next week might go back to posting three times a week, but I'll do my best to keep up the current pace. I was hoping to have a four day weekend to write, but that's not happening.**


	9. Chapter 9

Riding up in the elevator, Tim studied his reflection in the polished metal. Tony had done a great job picking out clothes for him as the sweater was bulky enough to skim over his changing shape. A woman in his position might have caught someone's attention, but since no one expected to see a pregnant man, he was safe for the moment. When the doors opened, Gibbs' hand on the small of his back was a comforting reminder that he wasn't alone in this.

They were expected, so Pamela waved them right in. Tim recognized the head of the legal department, Sharon Collins, sitting across from Vance, but the surprise was Jackie Vance sitting next to her.

"Mrs. Vance?"

"Hello, Tim." Jackie stood and gently hugged him. "Call me Jackie, please. After all, I could very well be the stepmother of your child."

When he stared at her in shock, Jackie touched the side of his face. "I don't know how we're going to work out all the details, but I do know one thing. No possible child of my husband's will ever feel unwanted or unloved by anyone in our family."

"Thank you, Jackie, that means a lot."

Satisfied, she picked up her purse and kissed her husband before walking out.

Leon just grinned. The threat of McGee's father had upset her, he'd seen that last night, but it wasn't until she arrived at the Yard this morning that he'd realized how determined she was to be involved.

They quickly settled down to business as the agency lawyer explained what Admiral McGee had to prove and what they needed to do to stop him. After several hours, they'd done all they could to prepare for the upcoming court date and Ms Collins stood to leave. "The preliminary hearing is tomorrow, and as I said, I'll be arguing for an immediate dismissal of your father's claims. It may not go that quickly, so be prepared to speak to a court appointed psychologist. I realize that you're still recovering for your ordeal, but I'd suggest a fresh haircut and making sure you have a suit that still fits you. It'll go a long ways towards showing your mental state."

Tim automatically reached up and touched his head. They'd cut his hair once while he was being held, but he still felt shaggy. "Yes, ma'am."

-NCIS-

Gibbs drove Tim to his usual barber, who scolded him for letting his hair go for so long, but otherwise didn't notice anything unusual about his long time customer, which gave Tim a boost of confidence, even when Gibbs stepped out to take a phone call. Once they were done, Gibbs turned the car towards his house instead of back to the Yard.

"Boss?"

"SecNav is sending his personal tailor out to take care of your clothes. He'll be discreet, Jarvis has already explained the situation to him."

Short and muscular, with a shaved head and a goatee, Trevor Wood was not what Tim was expecting, but he clucked and fussed and dove into the closet Gibbs had filled with McGee's clothes without a slightest hesitation. He quickly honed in on several suits from before Tim had lost weight and less than an hour later, they were pinned and marked with chalk.

Trevor held up a black suit along with a light gray dress shirt. "I'll have these ready before your court date tomorrow, Agent McGee, and the other two by Monday. I'm not sure how long before you and junior outgrow these, but it will give us some time to figure it out."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Tim held out his hand, but was pulled into a hug.

"No, thank you. What you're doing is wonderful. So many infertile couples will be helped by this in the future, both gay and straight. Besides, someday I can be the first designer with a full line of male maternity wear."

"That might be a long time in the future." Tim honestly didn't know what was going to happen with the research in the long run.

Trevor brushed off his worry. "However long it takes, I can keep quiet. Besides, I get to bill the CIA in the meantime. How cool is that?"

Gibbs closed the door behind him and locked it. "Maybe you should lay down for a while and rest."

"Do you want to have Abby find out that I was in the building and didn't come see her before I left for the day?"

"I'll get your coat."

-NCIS-

"McGee!" Abby squealed and ran over when he entered the lab, but again, her hug was gentle. "You were here and then you left without seeing me."

"Sorry, Abs, but I needed to get ready for Court tomorrow."

She hugged him again. "The Director told me about it, I can't believe your father's doing that. He won't get very far though, the whole team is ready to testify on your behalf."

That earned her a kiss on the cheek from both men before Gibbs asked about her progress and her face fell. "I'm trying, Gibbs, but this is some hard-core encryption. I'm almost through the first layer, but that's just the start."

"Why don't I work on it?" They both turned and stared at McGee as he made his case. "It's probably better for me to be working down here, out of sight, instead of being up at my desk."

"Tim..."

"I'm pregnant, not helpless, Gibbs, and getting those files cracked is going to help me stay that way. I can do this, Boss."

Other than his overactive need to take care of the younger man, Gibbs could come up with no reason why he shouldn't be allowed to work on cracking into the files. "You don't over-do it and take plenty of breaks, alright?" He got a nod, but he wasn't done yet. "Once you break through that last layer, you hand it over to Abby and Ducky, I don't want you stressing over anything you read in those files."

The second nod was a little slower than the first and he turned to Abby. "Make sure he doesn't push himself too hard and make sure he's not exposed to anything in the lab that could harm him or the baby. What other cases are you working right now?"

Gibbs' worry made her smile. "Nothing else, Vance had it all turned over to the FBI's lab so we could just concentrate on McGee's case." She threw her arms around him and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of them."

-NCIS-

Despite a steady stream of teammates coming down to check on him, Tim was pleased with his progress by the time Gibbs announced that the work day was done. They stopped by Autopsy for a quick check with Ducky and Dr. Hughes before driving back to Gibbs' house.

Tim sat on the couch and listened in amusement as Gibbs spent over twenty minutes on the phone ordering Chinese food, drilling the hapless waiter about MSG and other possible preservatives. Finally satisfied, he hung up and moved Tim's legs up onto the sofa. "Dr. Hughes said your feet were a little swollen."

"She also said it was very common."

"And that we need to watch it." Satisfied to have the last word, Gibbs went into the kitchen and came out with a bottle of water and a glass of juice and set them both on the coffee table in front of Tim. "Here, hydrate, do you want milk with dinner?"

Tim made a face at the thought. "Milk with Chinese food? No, I'll just have juice."

After months of being either sedated or chained up, the light activities of the day had been enough to exhaust McGee, and soon after dinner he was ready to crash for the night. Gibbs appeared at his side, carrying a mug of warm milk, just as Tim climbed into the bed. He obediently drank the milk and let Gibbs tuck him into the blankets. As sleep claimed the younger man, he was only vaguely aware of the hand that brushed across his head before pressing lovingly against his belly.

* * *

><p><strong>an - Probably no postings over the weekend as I'll be out most of the time. Maybe that will give the site time to work out the bugs they seem to have. I'm hard at work on chapter 12, which is my favorite so far (and one of two parts of the story that started the whole thing in my head), so there will be plenty to read next week. Thanks for all the wonderful comments, you guys are great.**


	10. Chapter 10

"Good morning." Tim woke to the words, surprised that he'd slept the entire night. Gibbs smiled down at him and set a plate of crackers on the nightstand. "This always helped Shannon."

"Thanks." He rolled to his side, preparing to get up, when Gibbs laid a hand on his arm.

"Take your time and nibble on a few crackers before you get up."

The nausea had been lessening over the last two weeks, but the crackers did seem to help and by the time he'd eaten all of them, Tim was ready to eat breakfast.

Gibbs was frying bacon and eggs when Tim walked into the kitchen, freshly showered, a bathrobe tied loosely around his middle. "We've got plenty of time before we need to leave. Sharon arranged for an informal meeting in the judge's chambers instead of a full court hearing."

"That's good." Tim was obviously nervous about the upcoming meeting, so Gibbs asked him to start the toast as a distraction.

Once they were eating, Gibbs reached over and squeezed Tim's hand. "It'll be all right." Biting his lip, Tim nodded, but didn't look at all convinced so Gibbs wrapped his arms around Tim and pulled him close.

"He never even tried to talk to me, neither did Mom." Tim melted against Gibbs as strong hands rubbed up and down his back. "All he cared about was being embarrassed and being right."

"I know." Gibbs kept rubbing his back, not even realizing what he kissed Tim's forehead. "I know, but we're going to get through this and then you can just concentrate on having a healthy baby, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Giving a shaky laugh, Tim straightened and wiped his eyes. "Damn, I can't believe I fell apart like that."

"Better now than when you face him. Besides," Gibbs waited for the questioning look in Tim's eyes. "You can blame it on the hormones." That got more of a laugh and he nudged Tim's plate closer to him, encouraging him to eat more.

Trevor arrived just as they were finishing breakfast, garment bag in one hand, a box of tree ripened oranges in the other. He presented the box with a flourish. "Flown in fresh from Florida this morning and so much better than what you'll get at the grocery store. Clayton told me that bananas were a no-go, so I thought these would be a better option."

Tim enjoyed the scent for a moment before he was sent up to change. Once he was up the stairs, Gibbs turned to Trevor. "So, how long have you been the SecNav's tailor?"

"Ever since that barbarian married my baby sister, but I'll get him civilized yet."

Gibbs choked in laughter and Trevor decided to ask a question of his own. "So, what about you? Happy to be a father-to-be?"

"Don't know if it's mine."

Trevor had been watching the interaction between the two men. "Does it matter?"

"Not to me, might to the others."

"Don't see them here taking care of him."

Gibbs didn't have an answer to that before Tim came back down the stairs, jacket draped over his arm. Trevor had done a wonderful job altering the pants, replacing the original waistband with a slightly stretchy fabric of a similar weight and appearance and adding suspenders to help support them. The shirt had been taken in at the shoulders, allowing the fabric to flow back out starting about mid chest. When Tim slipped the jacket on, Gibbs could see that it had undergone a similar modification. Between the perfect fit at the shoulders and the dark color, Tim's thickening waist was barely noticeable.

"That looks great, Tim."

"Thanks, Boss." McGee turned to Trevor, who was holding up two ties as he compared them.

"Hmm, this one for today." The tie he handed over had very little flare to it and the graduated colors drew the eye to the middle line. "Now you're set."

-NCIS-

Tim walked into Judge Parker's office with his head high and his friends around him. It was a snug fit with everyone and the clerk scrambled to find enough chairs. Tim sat on the judge's right hand side, his lawyer and Gibbs flanking him, the entire team, Leon, Jackie and Dr. Hughes behind him, and watched as his parents arrived. His mother took one look at him and started crying, while his father never made eye contact. Dr. Anderson accompanied them along with a man Tim assumed was their lawyer.

Parker set down the files he was reading and looked first at Admiral Edward McGee. "I must admit this is the most unusual set of circumstances I've ever run into in my thirty years on the bench."

"Yes, sir, what was done to my son was horrible." As the Admiral spoke, his wife dabbed at her eyes and continued to cry. "But the greatest travesty of all is the lack of proper care and counseling he's received since his rescue. As Timothy's father it is my duty and obligation to make sure he is properly taken care of rather than to be encouraged to continue the medical experiments that he's endured."

Nodding gravely, Parker looked carefully at McGee. "After reading your father's petition, I must admit you're looking healthier than I was expecting."

"Thank you, sir, I'm recovering well."

"Yes, well, the Secretary of the Navy requested that we meet informally in chambers before a decision is made about formally answering the petition. Do you know why that request was made?"

"I believe he was hoping to protect both me and my family from the media getting involved and making my condition public."

"By your condition, I assume you mean your belief that you are currently pregnant?" It was almost amusing to watch the elderly man squirm at the thought.

"According to my obstetrician, a little over fifteen weeks. Would you like to to speak to her or see the ultrasounds and CAT scans?" At Tim's calm question, Ms Collins handed over copies of the images. Parker stared closely at the pictures before handing them back.

"Well, Agent McGee, I do have to agree with your father that this is not normal by any means. Do you really believe that you fully comprehend the dangers involved with continuing this experiment?"

Tim took a deep breath. "Yes, I do, but I'm healthy, and my baby is healthy and developing normally."

Off to the side, Tim's father snorted. "There's nothing normal about any of this."

"Just what is normal, Dad?" Tim kept his anger reined in, but it could still be heard in his voice. "I may not approve of Dr. Davidson's methods, but the simple fact is that his research was right. I have been thoroughly and repeatedly examined since my rescue and there is no medical reason to terminate. Even Dr. Anderson could give me no reason except for his disapproval of what was done to me."

Tim turned back to the judge. "I will be the first to say that I would not have chosen to become pregnant, especially under those circumstances, but I've come to terms with what happened to me and I have made the informed choice to continue with the pregnancy. My doctor is checking on me every day and studying everything she can about the artificial womb and any risks I might be facing. As long as she feels there is a reasonable chance of carrying the baby until it is developed enough to survive, then that is exactly what I intend to do."

"And your father did not understand this?"

"My father hasn't spoken to me since my kidnapping. When told of my rescue, he demanded that the womb and my baby be immediately removed. When told that I refused, he hired a lawyer. He, nor my mother, have made no attempt to call me or to see me since my rescue. In fact, I have only spoken to my father once in the last seven years."

In the back row, Tony leaned over and stage-whispered in Vance's ear. "Doting father, my ass." The judge's mouth twitched, but he made no other indication that he'd heard the comment.

Tim smiled and sat up straighter. "The fact of the matter is that I am a healthy man that has been given an incredible gift. I have a wonderful support system and an excellent medical team that has been working around the clock learning everything they can about my condition. If a female agent were to become pregnant after being kidnapped, would you consider forcing her to undergo an abortion? I have the right to the same consideration."

"Well, you sound pretty sane to me, Agent McGee, even if I hope you see a therapist to help you cope with the changes in your life." The judge closed the files on his desk and looked over at Tim's parents. "I don't know if your son is brave or foolish, but he's competent to make the decision himself. If you want a piece of advice, learn to come to terms with it, because you've got a grandchild on the way. Case dismissed."

For the first time since she'd arrived in the courthouse, Tim's mother spoke up. "Could I see the ultrasound pictures?"

The Admiral glared, but Sharon quickly handed one of the images to her as the rest of them stood.

"That's a copy, you can keep it if you'd like." Tim gave a tentative smile to his parents as he rested his hand on his belly. "Maybe someday you'll be ready to accept the both of us." Not waiting for a reaction, Tim headed for the door, the rest of them falling into place behind him. He didn't relax until they were in the elevator, then he leaned heavily on Gibbs.

Gibbs pulled him even closer. "You did great in there, Tim, I'm proud of you."

"Yeah, way to go, Probie." Tony grinned at the couple. "And the Boss didn't even have to take on the Admiral."

"Nope, Tim did it all on his own." Gibbs rubbed his hand up and down Tim's back. "How are you feeling, this wasn't too much for you, was it?"

"I'm hungry." Blushing at the chuckles filling the elevator, Tim ducked his head back down. "After all, I'm eating for two."

Vance grinned and pulled out his phone. "That you are, McGee, and I learned many years ago never to argue with a pregnant stomach. He laughed as Jackie elbowed him and called his favorite restaurant to ask for the private dining room as the elevator delivered them to the main floor.

As they were walking down the front steps, the sudden squeal of brakes had the armed members of the group stepping in front of the others. When Trent Kort jumped out of the car parked haphazardly in front of the courthouse, they didn't relax right away.

Kort ran straight for Gibbs. "Tell me you were able to stop the petition?"

"Yeah, why? What aren't you telling us, Kort?" Gibbs tightened his arm around McGee.

Kort looked over their shoulders at Dr. Anderson coming down the stairs. Anderson saw the scrutiny and changed his angle, heading away from them. "Let's just say that certain members of my agency are extremely embarrassed about this becoming public knowledge, and for a Navy doctor, Dr. Anderson has a pretty strong relationship with the CIA."

"Really?" Vance still had his phone in one hand and immediately dialed the SecNav.

Tim's mind immediately went to the next step. "Does my father?" The possibility that his own father would join with the CIA against him was too much to even put into words.

"Don't know yet, kid, but I believe I'll go and find out."

Gibbs would have loved to been part of that confrontation, but he had other priorities at the moment. "Thanks, Kort, that's another one I owe you."

"Nah, this one's on the house. After all, how often do I get to go rattle a Navy cage without worrying about invoking the wrath of Gibbs?" With a sarcastic grin, Kort headed into the courthouse.

-NCIS-

Over various luncheon platters the chatter was tinged with a nervous relief, but it was McGee's announcement that had the group in an uproar and Gibbs turned to stare at him.

"McGee, you cannot be serious. You've been under too much stress already today." Even as he said the words, Gibbs took one look at that stubborn face and knew he was losing the battle.

"Best way for me to relax is to lose myself in code for a few hours."

Abby smiled and reached across the table for Tim's hand. "Aww, Gibbs, you know he's right. Besides, look how far he got on the encrypted files last time."

"Same rules apply." He looked at them both, waiting for agreement. Tim nodded with a soft smile at the worry and Abby's pigtails bounced with a more vigorous nod.

Across from Ducky, Tony held out his hand and Ziva slapped some money into it. Trying not to laugh at how well Tony knew McGee, Gibbs pointed at him. "You're buying dinner tonight."

"Planning on it, Boss." Tony looked at the two doctors sitting with them. "Was McPapa's lunch healthy enough to have pizza tonight?"

"Mmm, sausage and artichoke hearts on garlic white sauce."

Multiple heads swiveled at McGee's request, but Gibbs was the one to lay down a new rule. "If you start craving anchovies, you're eating on the back porch."

-NCIS-

Closer to the courthouse, it was a much more subdued scene as Edward and Melissa McGee reviewed their options over coffee. "Why can't any of them see reason? This will destroy Timothy in the long run."

"Hardly." Kort grabbed a chair from a nearby table and swung it around, straddling it as he joined them. "Like it or not, your son was chosen because he was the most likely to survive this. Hell, he's not only surviving, he's thriving."

The Admiral glared at the grinning man. "Just who in the hell are you?"

"Trent Kort, CIA. Our agency is somewhat indirectly responsible for this little problem, but I suppose you already knew that."

"Is there a point here?"

"Ah, direct, I like that. I knew your boy had big brass ones, but after seeing you led around by the nose today, I wasn't sure about you." Letting the Admiral stew about that for a moment, Kort picked up the ultrasound picture his wife had been staring at.

"What in the hell does that mean?"

Kort smirked at the agitated man. "Let's just say that there are certain members of my agency who would like this problem to go away at any cost." He handed the picture back to Melissa and she stared at him.

"Any cost? Are you saying..."

"Your friend, Dr. Anderson? He's a whole lot cozier with my agency than he is with your son's." Kort stood and leaned close to Edward's ear. "Gibbs is the most fiercely loyal and protective man I've ever met. He will kill to protect your son; if necessary, he will die to protect your son. What side of that fight to you want to be on?"

Leaving them something to think about, Kort stood and tossed some money on the table. "Coffee's on me."

Melissa watched him leave before turning back to her husband. "Ed, we have to find a way to fix this, I can't stand the thought that I won't know my own grandchild."

The vibration of the phone at his hip stopped any answer he might have had for his wife. Edward McGee showed her the caller ID on the screen before answering it. He was silent as he listened, and took his wife's hand before he replied. "We thank you for your concern, Dr. Anderson, but my wife and I are satisfied with the outcome of today's meeting with the judge. We won't be pursuing this any further." They could both still hear the arguing as he closed his phone.

* * *

><p><strong>an - so, is Dad a villain or just misguided? I'm still chugging away at this, currently finishing up chapter 13. Didn't get as much writing time as I wanted this weekend, but Army son came home for a visit. He was just presented the highest award for his MOS, so we had some celebrating to do. Not bad for a 23 year old kid. He broke all the records at his advanced training over the summer so it was great to have him recognized for it.**


	11. Chapter 11

It took Gibbs a few minutes to sort out the unfamiliar menu at the juice bar Ziva had recommended to him, and even longer to find a smoothie that didn't have banana in it, but soon he was back on his way to their building. Mission accomplished, he arrived in the lab with both a smoothie and a Caf-Pow! just as McGee broke through the last layer of the encryption. Abby let out a cheer and immediately called down to Ducky and Dr. Hughes while Gibbs gently tugged McGee away from the computer.

"Come on, time to take a break."

Truth be told, Tim really didn't want to read the clinical details of what had been done to him, especially all the weeks he'd been unconscious, so he willingly let Gibbs lead him outside. The two men walked a short distance, Gibbs carefully watching and when McGee seemed to tire, he found them a nearby bench. Tim gratefully sat down and leaned back, basking in the late autumn sunshine.

Gibbs let him rest for a moment before handing over the Styrofoam cup. "Here, it's strawberries, mango and peach with..." his words slowed as he remembered what he'd read on their menu, "twenty-two added vitamins and minerals."

Tim sucked on the straw, then smiled. "Mmm, that's good. Thank you."

Smiling, Gibbs rubbed Tim's neck. "We need to build up your strength and stamina after being locked up like that, make it easier for you to carry the baby, but we gotta be careful that you don't start losing weight at the same time."

"Yeah, I know. This is the furthest I've walked since the kidnapping, didn't take long to get out of shape."

"And it won't take that long to get your strength back." Gibbs wrapped his arm around Tim's shoulders and pulled him closer, speaking softly. "You went through something the rest of us can't even comprehend, and you're still going through it. Just take it one day at a time. Today you stood up to your dad and the judge, cracked the encryption on the files and walked further. That's a pretty good day, and tonight you're going to gross DiNozzo out with your pizza."

Gibbs snickered and Tim looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "What about you?"

"I'm a Marine, I can take it."

"Unless I start craving anchovies."

"Yep."

-NCIS-

"Tony." The hiss of his name caused him to look up to see Ziva staring at the couple being escorted over to their corner of the bullpen. Glad Tim was nowhere around, he stood to great them.

"Admiral McGee, Mrs. McGee, we weren't expecting to see you again today." Tony nodded to the agent that was escorting them and he gratefully made his escape.

Standing ramrod straight in his dress uniform, Edward came straight to the point. "We would like to speak to our son."

"Your son?" Tony could see Vance's arrival on the catwalk, but decided he was better suited for the upcoming confrontation. "You mean the man that you dragged to court, tried to declare incompetent, so a monster of a doctor could cut into him against his will, because, after all, once wasn't enough for that fun event. Umm, gee, let me think. Yeah, that would be a big no. But I'll be sure to let him know you were here, oh, in five or six years."

Admiral McGee was ready to let loose on the civilian that dared to stand up to him, but a sharp tug on his uniform jacket kept him on track. "Fine, but he needs to know that Dr. Anderson isn't giving up, and he called me several times before Timothy was even found to tell me that it would be kinder if Tim died rather than endure what he was going through."

"Well, it would have been nice to know that a little earlier, Eddy. Like maybe before the man conveniently got himself put in charge of your son's medical care."

"Listen, are you going to let me see my son or not?"

Tony looked past them to Ziva, who had pulled out her knife and was twirling it as she listened. "All those years on those big ships, maybe you're going deaf, Eddy, because I'm pretty sure I already said no. Ziva, did you hear me say no?"

Vance had sent off a quick text and gotten one in reply, so he decided it was time to join the conversation. "If Agent David didn't, I certainly did. Let me get an agent to escort you down to your car, sir."

As Vance waved an agent over, Melissa tried. "Please, just for a moment." Leon felt just a little sorry for her.

"Give him a few days. We'll set up a meeting for the first of the week, but only if Tim agrees to that."

Recognizing a losing battle, Edward stormed off, his wife at his heels as the agent scrambled to keep up with them.

Tony turned to Vance, not knowing how much he'd heard. "You're probably going to get a formal complaint from him about me."

"Yep, and probably in triplicate." He let Tony stew for just a few seconds before smiling. "The kid's hamster needs new paper in its cage." After Tony returned the grin, Vance jerked his head towards the window.

Both Tony and Ziva looked to see Gibbs and McGee sitting on one of the benches, Tim tucked very closely against Gibbs.

"Make sure that his parents don't wander down there and find him."

-NCIS-

Gibbs bit back a smile as he felt McGee leaning heavier and heavier against him. He rescued the almost empty cup and set it aside just as McGee went down for the count. When the text from Vance came in he answered it simply, _Tim asleep_. He was prepared to face off against Tim's parents, but when their visitors arrived, it was Tony and Ziva, instead.

The temperature was starting to drop and Tony pulled off his coat to drape over the sleeping man before he and Ziva settled in to wait.

-NCIS-

"You waking up?" Tim felt a finger trail down his face as he opened his eyes. Amused blue eyes were watching him. "Have a nice nap?"

Embarrassed, Tim straightened and wiped at his face. "Yeah, sorry about that." He recognized the coat that was covering him and looked over at Tony, but there was no ridicule or glee on the other man's face.

"Shouldn't push yourself so hard, Probie."

"I didn't, not really."

Gibbs could see the frustration growing on his face and tapped the back of his head. "Hey, Shannon needed an afternoon nap almost every day for the first six months she was pregnant. Your body wasn't made for this and you're still recovering from the kidnapping."

"Yeah, man," Tony leaned forward and tapped Tim's knee. "Cut yourself some slack."

Ziva smiled. "Absolutely. Now, would you like me to pull my car close so you don't have to walk all the way back?" She seemed surprised when all three men turned to stare at her. "What? I can fit it through the barricade."

"That's okay, I can walk, Ziva." To prove his point, Tim stood and handed Tony back his coat. "Thanks, Tony. What are you guys doing out here, anyways?"

Tony hesitated until he saw Gibbs nod. "Your parents were here, but Vance told them to wait."

Only if you were looking for it, would you have seen the break in Tim's gait as he walked along the path. "I bet my dad loved to be told that."

"He wasn't real happy when he left, but Vance didn't give him much choice."

"I'm sure he was thrilled by that."

"Sorry, Tim, but if it helps, I think they're beginning to understand that Dr. Anderson didn't have your best interest at heart when he went to him."

Tim frowned as he thought back to his time in the emergency room. "Yeah, it was like he took it personally that I didn't want to terminate the pregnancy."

Gibbs had no reason for them to back inside before they left, so he steered Tim towards the parking lot. "We're going to be looking at him a little closer tomorrow, just to be safe. Tony, we'll see you and Ziva at the house with pizza?"

"Yep. Still want sausage and artichoke, McGee?"

The idea of sausage made him feel a little queasy. "No sausage... pineapple."

"Pineapple? With artichoke?"

"Yeah."

Tim had a dreamy look on his face that had Gibbs chuckling. "It could be worse, DiNozzo."

Tony did not look convinced. "I'll take your word for it, Boss."

"It could be pickles and ice cream, is that not the traditional pregnancy craving?" Ziva smiled at Tony, who did not seem amused.

"No, because Probie doesn't like pickles, remember? A fact that I am so ever grateful for, right now." They had reached Gibbs' car and Tony waited until Tim was settled in. "What about you, Boss? Pineapple and artichoke?" Tony struggled not to laugh at the expression. "Pepperoni it is."

-NCIS-

"You're really going to eat that?"

"Well, yeah." Tim gave him a strange look before taking a bite and rolling his eyes in pure pleasure. Gibbs just grinned and set a glass of cranberry juice in front of the younger man and Tony's lip curled.

"Okay, that makes it even worse, guys." Tony laughed and shook his head, but he was carefully watching how Gibbs and McGee interacted. Tim was strong, but it was apparent how much additional strength he drew from the older man, while Gibbs seemed to revel in the opportunity to take care of Tim and his unborn child.

Ziva noticed Tony's increasing melancholy, but he subtly shook his head, not wanting to talk about it.

* * *

><p><strong>an - Thanks for all the well wishes, guys. Yeah, I'm pretty proud of him and he's got quite a career ahead of him. I'm so glad I get a four day weekend coming up because I'm sick again. Every time the grandkids bring a bug home from preschool, I manage to catch it from them. Anyway, here's the next chapter before I go back to bed. I should have two hours before they get up for the day.**


	12. Chapter 12

_Week Sixteen_

"Morning, Abs, what ya' working on?" Tony set the offered drink down next to the other three cups. It had apparently been either a very long night or a very early morning for the Goth.

Her fingers didn't slow down as she worked. "Hey, Tony, I'm still sorting out Davidson's files. I sent a ton down to Ducky for he and Dr. Hughes to review and now I'm trying to see if he kept any records of which egg was the one that survived." She finally stopped what she was working on to turn around and face him. "I thought it would be easier on everyone in the long run if we could determine who the father is since an amniocentesis is too risky."

"Why is it too risky?" Tony was pretty sure no one had mentioned that before.

"Tony, the womb is synthetic. Any puncture in it, is there for good and that's a weak spot that might tear when the baby is big enough to start stretching it."

He realized that there were a lot of risks that he hadn't thought of, but Tony was determined not to get off track. "Okay, well, that's kinda what I want to talk to you about, Abby."

"About the risks?"

"No, about the paternity." Tony took a deep breath, hoping to get it all out without Abby interrupting. "I mean, if it's Vance's, there's no hiding that, but if it's not, then it really should be Gibbs'."

"I should know pretty soon, Tony. Don't worry about it just yet."

"Abby, you're not listening. The baby should be Gibbs', not mine."

"Tony..."

"I've thought about this, Abs. It's for the best, really." The trademark grin was there, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Tony..."

"I don't know anything about being a dad, and..."

"Neither did Gibbs before Kelly was born."

He ignored the interruption. "And I'm not sure I'd ever trust Senior not to cash in on the story if he had a chance."

"You're selling your dad short, Tony, and yourself way short."

"Maybe, maybe not, but the thing is – Gibbs and Probie – they're already bonding over this baby and that's a whole lot better than custody arrangements and alternating weekends."

"Tony..."

He kissed her cheek. "Trust me, I know I'm right, Abs. This is better for everyone involved. I'm really okay with being just the goofy uncle."

Before she could come up with an argument, she was alone in the lab and with the decision. Abby knew she could lie for Gibbs, Mexico proved that, even if he hadn't asked her. What she didn't know was if she could lie to Gibbs. Unable to answer that, Abby turned back to the science, hoping it wouldn't let her down.

-NCIS-

The crackers on the nightstand were already a part of their morning routine, and Tim slowly nibbled on them as he got ready for the day. He'd told Gibbs that the nausea was better, and it was, he'd just never told him how bad it had been at times. The medical intervention Davidson had provided was welcome, but the simple touch of Gibbs quietly coming in with a plate of crackers, the only aid he knew, settled much more than Tim's stomach.

Whistling could be heard coming from downstairs, so this time it was McGee quietly stepping through the house. He smiled when he reached the kitchen, watching Gibbs cheerfully slice fruit as he made a fresh berry mix. It didn't take Gibbs long to sense that he wasn't alone, and when he turned, Tim smiled and came the rest of the way into the kitchen.

"That looks really good."

Gibbs seemed proud of himself. "How about French toast with berries for breakfast?"

"Sounds really good." Tim slid into a chair at the table, watching with a smile.

"Contrary to popular belief, I can fix more than steak and coffee and you should have a good breakfast before we go to the hospital today."

Tim's face scrunched up in disgust. "Yeah, my weekly hormone injection."

Gibbs wondered what it was about the injection that had Tim discouraged, but before he could comment, his phone rang. After answering, he pressed a button and put the phone on the table between them. "Ducky, I just put you on speaker, do you want to say that again?"

_Yes, Jethro, we need to know if Timothy has eaten yet this morning._

Tim had a pretty good idea what was coming. "Just some crackers, Ducky."

_How many crackers?_

"Only four."

_Very good, we need you to wait and not eat anything else before your morning appointment._

"Why?" Gibbs tossed the last of the blueberries in with the strawberries. Tim answered before Ducky could.

"Let me guess, fasting blood tests?"

_You are correct, Timothy. Patricia and I have been studying the files of Dr. Davidson's earlier attempts and it has become apparent that the male pancreas is considerably strained by the act of pregnancy. We want to establish a baseline as quickly as possible. We will also want to monitor your liver function and how well your body is absorbing vitamins right now._

"Okay, Ducky." Tim gave a sad sigh as he watched Gibbs carefully stretch plastic wrap over the bowl of fruit. He could hear the older man's chuckle over the phone.

_Don't worry, lad, we'll have you done in time for a nice lunch and we have a surprise for you and Jethro._

"Surprise?"

_We'll see you when you arrive._

-NCIS-

It wasn't Jackie's morning to drive for the carpool, so the minute the kids left she sat down with a notebook next to Leon. "I've been thinking about this ever since I saw Tim at your office."

"About what?"

She opened the notebook to show several sketches of the layout of their home, each with a modification. "About adding on a two bedroom suite for Tim and the baby if it turns out to be yours."

He blinked in surprise. "That's a really big step, Jackie."

"I know, but if the baby is yours, are you willing to settle for just an occasional weekend? Even if they didn't move in full time, they would have someplace to stay with us for the holidays."

He pulled Jackie close and kissed her. "Have I told you lately what a lucky man I am?"

-NCIS-

Tim rolled his eyes, but obediently climbed into the wheelchair after he checked into the hospital. Instead of taking him down to the outpatient lab, Tim was wheeled to the elevator and up to the Obstetrics Department. Ducky met them at the elevator and took over for the admitting clerk.

"After reviewing the options with the Chief of Staff, it's been decided that several rooms will be dedicated solely to your care until this wee one arrives, Timothy. That way, there will be less disruption in your care, especially when you get closer to term."

They passed the room Tim had been in before and turned the corner. The wide hallway was now blocked with a locking door and Ducky pulled out a key card to open the door, giving Tim a reassuring smile. "This is for your safety and security. The only hospital personnel allowed past these doors have been vetted and have a high security clearance."

Tim was nervous, but relaxed when he saw that the key card system was a one-way system. No card was needed to open the door from the other side. It limited who could come in, but anyone could leave at any time. They waited while Gibbs looked over the security measures, not moving until he nodded his approval.

A total of eight rooms were dedicated to the new male maternity wing, four on each side of the corridor, plus a small linen room before the second security door that led to the stairwell. The first few rooms were filled with assorted lab equipment, some still being unpacked, and beyond that was a room with cots. It was apparent that Ducky had already claimed a spot in the somewhat crowded room, as Gibbs recognized the teapot sitting on a table. The last room was the patient's room and Dr. Hughes was bent over a table, working on some equipment.

Patty looked up and smiled. "Ah, Tim, right on time. Ducky and I are have just finished the calibrations for this ultrasound machine."

"Looks different than what Davidson had."

Ducky was proud of what they'd accomplished in such a short amount of time, between the rooms and the equipment. "He had the old style, this is the newer, 3-D version. It will give us a much better look at your little one."

"Really?"

Dr. Hughes watched the exchange and smiled. "Absolutely, we've been using them for quite a while. Now, hop up on the bed and let's see your tummy. Agent Gibbs, are you staying?"

Gibbs glanced over at Tim, saw the hopeful look on his face and smiled. "Yeah, I'm staying."

Once Tim was settled and had his shirt pulled up and his pants rolled down past his baby bump, Dr. Hughes squirted some gel on his stomach. "Well, if this little peanut is cooperating, we might even be able to determine the gender today."

"This early? I thought you wouldn't be able to tell for a few more weeks."

"You're sixteen weeks as of today, so we've got about a fifty/fifty chance of determining the sex." Patty leaned closer to the screen as she shifted the transducer across Tim's abdomen. Having success, she smiled as she saved the image.

Behind her, Ducky was also smiling, but his focus was on how McGee had instinctively reached for Gibbs' hand when the images first appeared on the monitor and how Gibbs had taken his hand without hesitation while leaned over Tim to better see.

When Shannon had been pregnant, ultrasound imaging was around, but used rarely and only for high risk pregnancies. Over the years, Gibbs had seen a few ultrasound pictures, but never with the depth and detail this provided. "Is that?"

Patty chuckled at the wide spread legs that had given the perfect view of what was between them. "You've got yourself quite an exhibitionist there, Tim, and to answer your question, Gibbs – yes, that is."

"A boy." The words were spoken with such awe and wonder that even Tim turned away from the screen for a moment.

"I kinda thought you'd have been hoping for a girl."

Gibbs was still staring at the frozen image but he tightened his grip on Tim's hand. "The day before my last deployment, Kelly told me she wanted a little brother, made me promise."

"Oh, Jethro." It was the first time he'd used Gibbs' first name, but it rolled of his tongue so easily at that moment, that neither man noticed.

Shifting closer to Tim, Gibbs watched as Dr. Hughes continued the scan, stopping occasionally to save an image or take a measurement., but it was the close up picture of the baby's face that caught the three men off-guard.

Ducky leaned close. "Heavens, would you look at that, he's sucking his thumb."

Dr. Hughes began printing off pictures, starting with the last one. "That's the best part of the 3-D imaging, we get to really see the little person that's developing."

"He's beautiful."

"Yeah, he is, Tim." Gibbs pulled him close enough that their foreheads were touching. "Thank you for letting me stay."

To give them some privacy, Patty took her time and printed two sets of the pictures before returning to the bedside and handing them each a stack. "Now, we're going to be taking blood every thirty minutes for the next few hours and I believe there's a couple of other men that probably want to see those pictures."

Gibbs looked up in surprise, having totally forgotten that Tony and Vance were still in the picture. "Yeah, you're right, they probably want to see these." He didn't rush to leave as he looked through the images Patty had printed for him and Ducky had to smile.

"I would imagine Abigail will want to see those pictures the moment you get back to the Yard, Jethro."

That got Gibbs moving, albeit, slowly. "You'll stay with him, Duck?"

"Of course."

Now standing, Gibbs leaned over to whisper in Tim's ear. "I'll be back soon and then we'll go out for a nice lunch and celebrate, okay?"

Gibbs was close enough that when Tim turned his head, his lips brushed against the younger man's cheek. Eye to eye, Tim gave a soft smile. "I'd like that."

* * *

><p><strong>an - Couldn't log in yesterday, sorry about that. Apparently I wasn't the only one.**

**Ahh, Tony, did you make things better or worse? Or maybe you should have given Abby a little more time with the records?**

**Before anyone asks, I was one of those women who could nibble on a few saltine crackers before I got out of bed and it made a huge difference. My doctor always figured that would screw up the fasting blood tests less than a couple of hours of puking, so Patty's made the same call here.**

**Thank you all for your shared pride in my son's award. Since it was asked, MOS stands for Military Occupational Speciality code. For example, an 18B is a Special Operations Weapons Sergeant. The number is the Field and the letter is the speciality. For band members, there's a second code that gives their qualifying instrument, or in his case, instruments. So he is a 42R 9C 9E 9F.**


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey, Abs."

"Gibbs." Wrapped up in what she was studying, she jumped slightly when he came in. "That was quick, Tim's done already?"

"Ultrasound is done, they'll be doing blood tests for the next couple of hours."

Abby tried to glare at him, but she was smiling too much as she saw what was in his hand. "Since you didn't bring me a Caf-Pow!, you better have brought pictures."

He returned the smile easily since he hadn't stopped smiling. "You're my first stop."

Squealing, she took the offered photographs and started looking through them as she scanned them into her computer. "Oh, my God, it's a boy, Gibbs."

"You noticed that?" He couldn't quite keep the smug grin off his face and she playfully smacked his arm before pointing out the notes printed on the image.

"Well, yeah. Even if I hadn't noticed that on my own, the arrow and the label 'boy parts' was a pretty big clue." She looked at him carefully. "Is that good, that it's a boy, I mean?"

If possible, he looked even happier. "Yeah, it's very good, Abby."

She chewed on her lip as she watched him. "I've got some more news for you that's good. At least I think it's good news. I hope it's good news, I mean I hope you think it's good..."

Gibbs cut her off before she could get too distracted. "Abby, just tell me."

"He's yours."

"What?" Gibbs froze, not trusting his ears.

Abby took a deep breath and explained. "Davidson's people recorded every detail of their work, Gibbs, including the progress of each embryo and..."

"He's mine?"

"Yeah." She watched as shock became amazement before developing into pure joy as he pulled her into a hug.

"He's mine. He's really mine."

"I know." She kissed his cheek before pulling back enough to watch him. "He's a lucky little boy, Gibbs, he's got two great dads."

"I'm the lucky one, Abs. Do the others know yet?"

Abby shook her head, ignoring the visit she'd had from Tony. "No, I wanted to tell you first."

"Thank you, I'll go let them off the hook. Put this one on my monitor, okay?" Gibbs pointed out his favorite as he took the pictures back from Abby and left the lab. The elevator doors had barely closed before he flipped the switch. Tracing his fingertip over the facial features in his favorite picture, he let it sink in as he whispered the words he never thought he'd have the chance to say. "I'm gonna be a dad again."

-NCIS-

Ducky smiled as he watched Tim struggle to down the thick, overly sweet syrup. "I do apologize for the taste, Timothy. Unfortunately, the only other flavor is even worse."

Tim shuddered as he swallowed the last mouthful. "I'm not sure how that's possible, Ducky, but I'll take your word for it."

"It's even worse when it's warm." Patty breezed back into the room, carrying a small tray. "You'd be amazed by how many of my colleagues can't be bothered with keeping the bottles in a refrigerator. Have you told him yet, Ducky?"

"Not yet, my dear." Ducky finished writing down the time as he turned back to McGee. "I was just about to."

"Tell me what?" He'd assumed that the better quality ultrasound was the surprise, but now he wasn't sure.

Dr. Hughes set the tray down and came over to sit next to Tim. "Dr. Davidson tended to gloss over any discomfort you were having, but even he noted how many problems you were having with the hormone injections."

"Yeah, the first couple of days are always pretty miserable, but I understand how necessary they are."

"The hormones are necessary, but injecting them in a liquid form is what causes you all the problems."

Davidson had explained why the injections had been so troublesome. "The liquid form irritates the tissue and it's never a steady dose. They told me all that, but they said that the patch wasn't precise enough and the cream was even worse."

"He was right; however, there is another option." She reached over to the tray and picked up a small glass vial that contained a dark colored pellet, slightly larger than a grain of rice. "We can implant this under your skin. It will release a steady level of all the hormones you need for the duration of your pregnancy."

"Wow, really? That would be great." Tim took the offered vial and studied the contents. He'd gotten used to the pain and discomfort, but the emotional roller coaster had been a lot harder to deal with and he'd been dreading having Gibbs see him like that. He held the glass out. "Can you implant this today instead of the injection?"

Patty took back the vial and laid it on the tray again. "Absolutely. We'll do that after your last blood draw and then Gibbs can take you home and fuss over you."

"Gibbs doesn't fuss." Even as he said it, Tim could feel his face heating up, especially when Dr. Hughes patted his knee.

"Of course not. Now, I'll be back in thirty minutes to draw some blood."

-NCIS-

Gibbs was well know for his poker face, but it was a struggle to put on the air of nonchalance before he stepped off the elevator. Finally he walked across the bullpen on his way to the stairs. "DiNozzo, with me."

Scrambling to his feet, Tony followed Gibbs upstairs and into Vance's office. Once the door closed behind them and the three men were alone, Gibbs let a slight smile escape.

"You two don't have to worry anymore. Abby confirmed paternity this morning."

Vance immediately forgot the report he was reading. "The baby? It's yours?"

"He's mine." Just saying the words brought an even wider grin to Gibbs' face and he waited for either Vance or Tony to pick up on exactly what he said. It didn't take long.

"He's yours? He?" Spotting the pictures Gibbs was holding, Vance held his hand out. Looking over the pictures, Leon remembered the moment he'd seen his own son in similar images. Across the desk, Tony was also looking intently, but trying to act casual.

"That's great, Boss. Better you than me, if you know what I mean." Tony's voice faltered when he saw the picture of the baby's face as he contently sucked his thumb. "Wow, he looks like a real person already."

"He's very real, Tony, and he's my son." Gibbs turned to Vance. "Never had a reason to pay attention before, what's the paternity leave policy now?"

"You're going to take time off after the baby arrives?"

"Not going to miss a moment this time, Leon."

Vance studied him for a moment, realizing just how seriously Gibbs was taking his impending fatherhood, no matter the circumstances. "Okay, then, I'll have Pamela email you the most updated information."

"Thanks, Leon." Gibbs started gathering up the pictures. "I'll be heading back to the hospital in a little bit. I promised Tim lunch as soon as today's tests are done." When Vance looked up at him, he grinned. "Fasting blood tests this morning; it's been a long time since dinner."

The other father did remember those days. "Gotcha. Hey, Fornell's been asking for an update. I'll let you decide how much detail to tell him."

Gibbs nodded and sailed out of the room, still smiling, while Vance just shook his head. "In all these years, I don't think I've ever seen him smiling that much."

Tony chewed on his lip. "Yeah, well, it's for the best, right? I mean about the baby being his."

"Absolutely, it's the best option for all of us... really, it is." Vance gave a shrug as he looked out the window, lost in thought.

-NCIS-

Abby was at Gibbs' desk when he came downstairs, hopping up to hug him as soon as she saw the older man. "Okay, Gibbs, all the pictures are in a folder on your desktop and I made that one your new wallpaper."

"Thanks Abby." He returned the kiss and watched her bounce back down to her lab. Ziva had been watching the exchange and came over to see what they were talking about.

"This is the baby?"

Gibbs smiled at the question. "Yep, that's him."

"A boy?"

"A boy, and mine."

Ziva's eyes widened at the news and the happy expression. "This makes you happy?"

"Yeah, it does." He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial, not giving the person at the other end a chance to say anything. "Usual place? Coffee's on me." Snapping his phone closed, he looked back at Ziva. "Where's a good place around here for baby things?"

"You are asking me?" Ziva thought for a moment. "Perhaps the mall down the street from Bethesda? I can look it up for you if you would like?"

"Appreciate it, Ziva, text an address to me, okay?" Gibbs brushed his fingers across his computer monitor before turning it off and leaving.

Tony was just coming back into the bullpen as Ziva was sending the information to Gibbs. She watched him throw himself into his chair and pick up the report he'd been reviewing. "I hear you are off the hoof."

"Hook, Ziva, it's hook and how long have you been in this country?"

She smiled and ducked her head so he didn't know if she was teasing him or not. "This is what you wanted, is it not?"

"Did you see the pictures?"

"Yes, yes, I did. Gibbs had Abby put one of them on his monitor." Not sure why the suddenly depressed mood, Ziva watched as Tony wandered over and turned Gibbs' monitor back on.

"He's going to have a cute kid, isn't he?"

Ziva looked around to see if anyone was close enough to hear them. "Yes, he is and Gibbs seems very happy. Abby's discovery was the best for everyone."

"Yeah." Tony reached out and turned the monitor back off, watching as the image faded. "Yeah, it was for the best."


	14. Chapter 14

"Here." Gibbs handed over the cup and a bakery bag with a flourish.

Fornell's eyebrow went up when he saw the muffin. "You must want something, Gibbs."

"What? Can't a guy be a good mood?"

"You? No. Has something happened to McGee? You need me in some plan against the CIA?"

"Nah, the CIA's behaving, mostly. They let us keep Davidson's research files to help McGee and they're covering all his expenses." Gibbs rolled his eyes at Fornell's expression. "Thought I'd celebrate with my friend, Tobias. I'm going to be a dad."

Fornell almost choked on his coffee. "He's keeping it?"

"Yep."

"And you're the biological father?"

"Yep." Gibbs watched the reaction over the rim of his cup.

"And you're okay with this?"

Gibbs' smile widened. "Yeah, I am."

"Well, congratulations, I guess."

"We're having a boy." Gibbs fumbled in his jacket pocket before pulling out the pictures.

Intrigued, Fornell set his coffee between his feet and the bag next to him on the bench to carefully look at them. By the time he got to the last one, he was smiling. "Good looking kid already."

"Were you expecting any less?"

Tobias hated to break the mood, but felt like it was his obligation. "You know it's going to be different this time, don't you? I mean, no matter how much you try, even joint custody is a long way from being a happy family. McGee will need a house close to yours so you're both in the same school boundaries, stuff like that."

"He's staying with me, it's working out fine." Gibbs shrugged as he took back the pictures. "Look, I know it won't be easy, but we'll figure it out as we go."

Fornell studied him for a long minute. "Never figured you for a man that built his life on hopes, Jethro."

"Maybe because this is the first time in a long time I've had hope in my life, Tobias. Enjoy your coffee; I'm going to go buy my boy a stuffed animal and then pick up Tim."

He didn't say anything until Gibbs was half way out of the park. "Good luck, my friend. If anyone deserves happiness, it's you." A raised hand was the only sign that he'd been heard.

-NCIS-

Jackie was folding laundry when she heard the front door open, followed by the sound of her husband calling out for her. She instantly relaxed and answered as she met him in the kitchen. "Leon, what are you doing home? It's not even lunchtime."

"Didn't want the kids to overhear." Jackie had moved to the sink to fill the tea kettle and he followed to stand behind her. "Our forensic scientist was able to determine paternity from the recovered files. It's not mine."

"Oh." Jackie realized that she wasn't as happy as she thought she should be. Leon wrapped his arms around her waist and she nodded, even though he couldn't see her face. "That's... good, I mean it's for the best. Who's..."

"Gibbs."

Jackie set the kettle down and leaned heavily on the counter. "I know he's been supportive of Tim, but is he happy about it?"

"Yeah, honey, he is. He's happier than I've ever seen him, even asked about taking paternity leave. He wants to be there every step of the way. Jethro will be a good dad to that little boy."

"It's a boy?"

He turned her and pulled her close. "Today's ultrasound was pretty conclusive, so was the file Abby found. Tim is carrying Jethro's son."

"I know I should be relieved, Leon." Her voice broke and she shook her head as he pulled her close.

"But you were already imagining first Christmases and baby snuggles, even if it was just part time." She let out a soft sob and he kissed her head. "Me too. We both remember those days and we miss them. Gibbs remembers those days too, and he misses them more than we could ever imagine."

Surprised, Jackie leaned back to look at her husband while he told her what she'd never known about the driven man that appeared so cold at times. "His daughter and first wife were murdered when he was stationed overseas. That's... that's the kind of thing that leaves a terrible hole in a man's heart, Jackie."

Things were beginning to fall into place for her. "He's never let himself love again, has he?

"Nope, not until he had to face the possibility that this child was his, and now that he knows..."

"Where does Tim fit in with Jethro's dreams?"

Leon pulled her close again. "I think we're just going to have to wait and let them find their own way, Jackie. I can tell you this much – they both care about the other more than they're willing to admit." There was a pause, then he could feel her smiling against his neck.

"Maybe we can help them along?"

-NCIS-

There was a lot more variety in baby supplies now, compared to when Shannon was expecting and Gibbs made a mental note to have Abby help him get a current copy of the safety regulations for baby furniture. His eyes widened as he walked through the rows of strollers, some with four wheels, some with three, while some were just an empty frame waiting for a separate car seat to be latched into place.

That took him to the wall of car seats, where the options and variations were just as dizzying. It was there that a clerk took pity on him. "Can I help you find a car seat?"

Gibbs gave her a slight smile. "Probably not yet. We're only sixteen weeks. I really came in for a teddy bear."

He wasn't the first overwhelmed father-to-be she'd had in the store. "Well, you have some time, but remember that most hospitals suggest that you get the installation of your car seat certified at least a month before the baby's due."

He hadn't heard of that before. "Certified?"

"Oh, yes." She walked over to a standard bench seat on display, obviously from a mid-sized car. Several different car seats were piled up nearby. "You'll need to prove that the seat can be secured properly in your particular car and that you can place it and remove it easily. Most parents like the infant seats with the base that stays in the car rather then thread all the straps through the seat every time. If you have more than one car, you can buy multiple bases. Do you know if your car has specific tie-downs for a car seat instead of the standard seat belts?" She saw the glazed over expression and handed over a stack of pamphlets with a laugh. "Here, read through these while you're deciding. In the meantime, let's go pick out a bear for your little one."

It wasn't a bear, but a bunny, that Gibbs picked out and made from the softest fabric he'd ever felt. It came in every pastel color imaginable, but it was the blue one that Gibbs bought along with a blanket made of the same fuzzy fabric.

His path to the front registers took him past the infant clothing and by the time he had his wallet out, he had several sleepers and a pack of bibs.

Back in the car, Gibbs didn't start it right away. Instead, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number he'd known for years. "Hey, Dad, any chance you can get away from the store for a few days? Got something I need to talk to you about, but it's not something we can discuss over the phone and I can't leave DC."

He smiled at the worry he heard in the older man's voice. "No, it's nothing bad, I promise. It's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time.

"Call me when you get your flight information, I'll pick you up at the airport.

"No, Dad, we need to talk before you get to the house.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Taking a deep breath, Gibbs closed the phone. That was going to be an interesting conversation.

* * *

><p><strong>an - Your reviews have been wonderful, thank you. A quiet chapter this time, but we did need a bit of a reality check to remind Gibbs that it might not be as easy as he thinks.**

**Everyone have a good day yesterday? Quiet for me, but I do know of a young soldier that I've mentioned recently who spent some time on the phone with his girlfriend's parents before going to a jewlery store. I'm waiting to hear what happens.**


	15. Chapter 15

Gibbs scanned his new card and waited for the light to come on. As soon as he heard the beep and saw the light, he pushed his way through the heavy door, letting it close behind him. Ducky was just coming out of the new lab, studying a print-out. "Duck, how's he doing?"

"Ah, Jethro, right on time I see. So far everything's looking right where we want it to be. Patricia will take one more blood sample and then Timothy will undergo a minor surgical procedure to implant a time release hormone pellet." He fell into step next to Gibbs.

"Surgery?"

"Very minor, won't even need a stitch, but it will eliminate the weekly injections that cause him so much discomfort. I believe Timothy will consider that a positive."

Gibbs reached out and touched Ducky's arm, stopping him before they reached McGee's room. "Honest answer, Ducky, how is he handling all of this?"

Ducky gave Gibbs a careful look. "Timothy has always wanted a family, he's never made that a secret. My concern is that he's already decided this eliminates any chance of finding a life partner. He's too young to spend the rest of his life alone, Jethro."

"He won't be alone. Don't know exactly how it's going to work, but that's my son he's carrying, and he won't have to face any of this alone. Got my word on that, Duck."

"Your son?"

"Yeah, mine." Gibbs smiled and hefted the bag he was carrying. "Tim awake?"

"Yes, I believe he's watching television. Jethro, how did you decide..." Ducky stared at him, determined to know what was going through his mind.

"Abby found the records in Davidson's files." The smile grew wider. "I'm going to be a dad again, Ducky."

"And I am happy for you but, as you said, it will take work. You are very set in your ways and Timothy has always been a little insecure when it came to you. No matter how much you both may want this, it won't be easy."

"Shannon told me once that nothing important ever was." Gibbs saw the expression on the older man's face and confessed the rest. "She'd kick my butt if I didn't do this right."

Ducky finally had to smile. "Yes, well, you remember that and you should do all right. Go see your new family, Jethro. Dr. Hughes and I will be along in a few minutes to do the procedure."

-NCIS-

Dr Anderson stood at parade rest in front of the heavy mahogany desk, waiting as the elderly man read his report.

"It appears you have failed me, Anderson. I wanted this mess resolved; instead, my superiors have given their support and funding to allow Agent McGee to continue with this insane project."

"I'm sorry, Sir. His parents are having second thoughts since the judge shot down their request and they're no longer speaking to me. The medical examiner has taken it on himself to personally screen everyone that comes into contact with McGee at the hospital and they've set up a secure wing just for him. I can't get anywhere near him now."

"There's still time, perhaps nature will correct this abomination with no further efforts on our part. Keep your ears open, Dr. Anderson, if there's any changes I want to know about them immediately."

-NCIS-

"Hey, how ya' doing?" Gibbs slipped into the room, noting the cable news channel McGee was watching.

Tim shrugged and looked down at his arm. "Feel like a pin cushion."

"Ducky tells me they're almost done." Gibbs had reached the bed and sat down in the nearby chair as he dropped the bag at his feet. Settled, he reached out and laid his hand on Tim's belly. "Has our boy been good for you?"

Tim had looked down at the hand resting on his stomach, but at the question, he slowly looked up at Gibbs, a hopeful expression on his face. Gibbs smiled, happy to share the news.

"Abby confirmed it this morning, he's mine."

"Oh, thank God." Tim sagged and Gibbs moved to sit on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arm around the pregnant man as Tim confessed his deepest fears. "I didn't want to cause problems for Vance's family and Tony..."

"Tony?"

"This really would have screwed up our friendship, no matter how much we promised ourselves it wouldn't"

"And me?"

Tim shifted to look the hopeful man directly in the eyes. "The idea that he was yours always felt right."

"Yeah?" Gibbs cupped his hand around Tim's cheek. "I'm glad. I promise you, Tim, the three of us are going to be just fine."

-NCIS-

"I'd like your opinion of the situation, Mr. Kort."

"McGee is handling the circumstances well, all three possible fathers are on-board with his continuing the pregnancy and Dr. Mallard has already put together a team to take over the medical aspect. His major risk is somewhere in this building."

"But we can't prove it."

"No, Sir, not yet."

-NCIS-

Patricia stopped just short of the door, Ducky almost running into her. "Is there a problem, my dear?"

"Nope." Grinning, she tilted her head towards the narrow window in the door. Ducky smiled as he peered over her shoulder. Gibbs was sitting on the bed, Tim leaning back against him as they looked at the baby things Gibbs had brought with him. "They look very happy, don't they?"

"Yes, they do."

"But you're worried?"

Ducky thought about her question. "Not as much as I was. Jethro will give all the support Timothy will need to get through the pregnancy. It's afterward that worries me, I'm afraid. He won't want to share Tim and the baby with someone, but I don't know if he's ready to make that level of commitment to anyone, let alone another man."

Patty looked through the window again, seeing Gibbs' hand gently stroking Tim's stomach as they talked. "I've seen pregnancy tear apart relationships and I've seen it bind a couple together for life. They might surprise you."

"I do hope so, my dear. I do hope so."

-NCIS-

"I don't think I've ever felt anything this soft." Tim rubbed one of the blue bunny's ears as Gibbs draped the blanket over his lap.

"Yeah, I think he'll like it." Gibbs reached out and touched the other ear. "Kelly had a stuffed kitty that she practically mauled to pieces before she could walk."

Tim had to laugh. "Sarah had a bear that was, shall we say, well loved when she was little."

"What about you?"

His smile fell as he shrugged. "Dad didn't believe in cuddly toys for any son of his."

"Well, this son of mine will always feel safe and loved. If he wants to drag the bunny with him to college, we may have a discussion, but not when he's little. While he's little, he gets the security of unconditional love. He'll always have that."

Turning enough to look at Gibbs, Tim reached up and tentatively touched the other man's face. "He and I are so lucky."

Gibbs captured his hand and pressed his face into the palm. "I'm the lucky one, Tim. Now, look at what else is in there." He returned his hand to Tim's belly as the clothing came out of the bag next.

Tim smiled again as he looked at the tiny garments. One was blue with a truck appliqued on the front, and one was a miniature Washington Redskins uniform, but it was the third that made him laugh out loud. He held up the flannel camouflage sleeper as he continued to chuckle. "I didn't know they made these."

"Couldn't pass it up. Take a look at those bibs, too."

Intrigued by the smug look on Gibbs' face, Tim pulled the pack of bibs out of the bag and immediately started laughing. "Spit happens, iPoo'd, nobody sleeps til I'm ready, these are great."

"There's a lot more available now than when Kelly was born." Tim pulled the stack of pamphlets out of the bag, so Gibbs explained. "Like I said, things have really changed. I think it's going to take all of your degrees to sort out the car seat options."

Tim started flipping through the pages. "That reminds me, just where is my car?"

"It's at the Yard. Motor Pool guys have it tucked in the garage and they're keeping it maintained for you. Are you in the mood to go driving?"

"Nah." Tim looked over as Ducky and Patty came through the door. "But I should deal with trading it in before I'm too far along to hide it."

Gibbs had to agree that the sports car was not a practical daily driver for two men and a baby. "How about if we go car shopping this weekend? Ducky, Dr. Hughes, what do you think?"

Ducky smirked at Patricia's surprise, since Gibbs had not looked up. "I'd suggest research tonight and Saturday and the actual shopping on Sunday, to give Timothy's hip a chance to heal."

It just took a few minutes before Tim was laying on his side, sterile drapes over him, as Patty injected a local. While that took effect, she drew the last blood sample, noticing the reaction from Gibbs as he saw the bruises from the earlier blood draws. The pellet was quick and easy to implant, and when it was done, she had Gibbs keep the pressure on the small incision. It really wasn't necessary, but she'd learned a long time ago to keep worried fathers busy whenever possible.

* * *

><p><strong>an - This site has been weird lately. Hopefully, this will load properly and thank you all for slogging through the loading problems and sticking with me. On the personal front, he asked and she said yes. She's a wonderful person and we're very happy for them.**


	16. Chapter 16

Gibbs pulled into the parking lot of his favorite Italian restaurant. It was past the lunch rush and he was able to park right next to the door. "You be all right for a minute?"

"Sure." Tim rolled his head against the seat as he looked over at Gibbs. "Just going to sit here and program my new phone."

"Be right back, then." Gibbs wasn't sure exactly how he'd been talked into stopping so Tim could buy a new phone, but the young man insisted that it was the only option since Gibbs didn't have internet at the house. All of their phones had been destroyed during the kidnappings, which had not made accounting happy, but Tim's had been the most expensive to replace. Now they were taking food for a relaxing early evening at home.

Inside the restaurant, the hostess was waiting for Gibbs with her arms crossed. "Jethro Gibbs, this is a pretty fancy dinner for two, not your usual order of meatballs and a beer. Why haven't we met this woman yet?"

"Hey, Ruth." Gibbs opened his arms and welcomed her into a hug. "It's complicated and classified."

After the hug she leaned back to look him in the eye. "Since when does classified make you this happy? Let me guess, that's the complicated part?"

"Yep."

She waggled a finger at him. "Oh, someday, Jethro..."

"Is that youngster giving you trouble?"

They both turned at the sound of the new voice and Ruth smiled at the interruption. "Frank, he's taking that dinner home instead of introducing us."

Frank came in from the kitchen, brushing the flour off his hands. "Ruthie, he'll introduce us when he's ready." He immediately turned to Gibbs. "So, when you gonna be ready? Ruthie and me, we're not getting any younger, you know."

"Not today, Frank." Laughing, Gibbs laid cash on the counter and picked up the box of food. "We've been at the hospital most of the day."

Ruth went to the pastry counter and started filling a bag while Frank immediately became serious. "Everything going to be all right?"

"Yeah, looks like it, but we're just going to have a quiet night tonight." Gibbs turned towards the door and Ruth added the new bag to what he was carrying.

"Here you go, you pamper her with a nice breakfast in bed, all right?"

"Thanks, Ruth, Frank." With a kiss to her cheek and a wave to her husband, Gibbs was out the door, realizing that he was going to have to figure out how to tell people that 'she' was a he.

-NCIS-

Abby finally tracked down her prey at the vending machines. "Tony, we need to talk."

"No, we don't, Abs." He finished feeding the quarters into the machine and watched his candy bar fall.

"Yeah, we do."

He gently grasped her shoulders and moved her out of his way. "No. We don't."

Alone in the break room, Abby stomped her foot and glared at his back as he walked away.

-NCIS-

Changed into comfortable clothes, Gibbs lit the kindling in the fireplace while Tim sorted out the food. "Are you sure you want to sit on the floor, Tim? I can drag the sofa closer."

Tim eyed the sofa for a minute, but shook his head. "Nah, a couple of months from now it will take a crane to get me off the floor, so I want to enjoy it while I can. Which one is yours?"

Gibbs looked over to see the two dinner entrees that McGee was pointing to. "They're both good, you grab the one you want." Tim joined him, handing over the Veal Picatta and keeping the Chicken Marsala for himself. He took the offered food, keeping a hand out to balance Tim as he settled on the cushion Gibbs had tossed onto the floor. Once Tim was seated, Gibbs scooped up his asparagus and started to move it to Tim's plate.

"What are you doing?"

He froze at the question. "You're pregnant, you need lots of vegetables."

"So you're sacrificing for the good of the baby and it has nothing to do with you not liking vegetables?"

"Umm, right?" He was pretty sure it was a trick question.

"And when we're teaching this little one about good eating habits, how do we explain that Daddy doesn't have to eat his veggies?

Sighing, Gibbs dropped the asparagus back on his own plate, picked one up and took a bite. "Shannon gave me the same lecture when she was pregnant."

"Smart woman."

Gibbs chuckled at the comment as he watched McGee spear one of the mushrooms in the sauce and joyfully eat it. "Another craving, or have you always loved mushrooms?"

"Both, maybe?" Tim smiled as he thought about it. "Mom and I both love mushrooms, but Dad hates them. The first night after he'd leave on a deployment, we'd saute up pounds of them with garlic and butter and Sarah would have her peanut butter pizza."

"Sounds like things were different when he wasn't around."

Tim thought about his answer carefully. "He's not a bad man, just very... rigid... and driven. Everything had to be perfect, all the time, when he was at home."

"And when he was gone?"

"Until his rank demanded it, Mom's one big thing was that we lived off-base, so we didn't have to keep up the pretense. When he was gone, Sarah and I never had to dress up for dinner and we never ate in the formal dining room. Dinner would be at the kitchen table, or we'd have a picnic outside if the weather was nice. If it wasn't, sometimes we'd have dinner in front of the fireplace. We'd watch movies and throw popcorn at the TV on the weekends and during the summer, we'd drive far enough that no one would know we were Navy and just have fun. I remember one time we drove about six hours up the coast. We had a cabin right on the beach and spent two whole weeks playing in the sand, flying kites and burning hot dogs over a bonfire every night. It was great."

Gibbs was realizing how little he truly knew about Tim and how much he craved that knowledge. "And when he'd get back?"

"Instead of mac and cheese in the kitchen, it was a pork roast in the dining room. Instead of jeans and a t-shirt, it was a tie for me and a ruffled dress for Sarah and every night we'd each be summoned into his study to have our schoolwork and daily activities examined."

Other than a few pieces of asparagus, Gibbs' plate was empty so he set it aside as he shook his head. "When I'd come home from a deployment, Shannon and Kelly would meet me at the plane. They'd have a picnic basket in the back of the van and we'd go to the park. Shannon wouldn't let me drive, said I had too much desert sand still in my boots to remember it was a minivan and not a Humvee."

He laughed at the memory, before turning contemplative. "We'd eat fried chicken and potato salad and Kelly would always fall asleep in the car on the way home. I'd carry her upstairs and marvel at how much she'd grown since I'd been gone and in the morning I'd let Shannon sleep in and Kelly and I would make breakfast together, just the two of us."

"She was a lucky little girl."

They had been shifting closer to each other as they ate, and now Gibbs was easily able to wrap an arm around McGee's shoulders. "Your dad might not be a bad man, but he didn't have a clue what was really important in life."

"He was obsessed with making it to the rank of admiral younger than his father did."

Gibbs knew the type. "Let me guess, when he did, it wasn't enough?"

"Father and son admirals? No matter what he accomplished, he was always Junior Admiral McGee. He'd get so frustrated at that, but then not have a clue why I didn't want to follow in his footsteps." Tim leaned his head against Gibbs. "Seeing the opening ceremony at the Olympics was cool, and being given a car was great, but I'd have given all that up for an afternoon in the park with my dad. I'm not going to make that mistake with this little guy."

"You're going to be a great dad." Gibbs let his fingers tangle with Tim's and rested their interwoven hand on Tim's belly. "And we're going to do this together, every step of the way."

-NCIS-

Kort shut off the engine and stared at the front door, feeling as if he was preparing to enter the lion's den. Finally, he took a deep breath and climbed out of the car, making as much noise as possible as he walked up onto the porch. He stomped, rattled the doorknob and finally opened the door as he announced himself. "Gibbs, it's Kort. Under the circumstances, you really should start locking your door."

Not surprisingly, he found himself looking down the barrel of a federally issued SIG Sauer, with McGee safely tucked behind Gibbs, his own SIG just as steadily pointed at the CIA agent. Rolling his eyes, Kort obediently held his hands up until Gibbs was satisfied and lowered his weapon, McGee doing the same just a few seconds later.

"What do you want, Kort?"

"Maybe I was just in the neighborhood." That earned him a glare and he smirked. "Just keeping you in the loop. Whoever is pulling Anderson's strings is well connected and well protected."

"He got a name yet?"

"Nope, but there's increased chatter. Certain extremely conservative politicians have an increased interest in the CIA suddenly. My boss is concerned that threatening to out McGee may be their way of solving the problem."

"What, they think I'll fold and terminate to save myself the embarrassment?" Tim might have been confused by the new threat, but it made a certain, sick sense to Gibbs.

"Zealots usually aren't rational, Tim."

Kort knew there was more possible trouble ahead. "Don't forget the other end of the spectrum. Davidson's people want this news to get out at some point. Perhaps for his own safety, it's time for McGee to take a more proactive approach."

Noting the nervousness, Gibbs laid a reassuring hand on Tim's back before he questioned the CIA operative. "What are you suggesting?"

"You're a writer, correct? Start documenting every step along the way. Not only what's happening to you but your feelings, how it's changed your life. Write your own life story. If you're lucky, you wait and give it to your kid on his eighteenth birthday, but if there's trouble, you'll want your version of the events ready to put out there."

Tim turned to look at Gibbs. "Maybe he's got a point."

"Yeah, besides, any shrink would probably want you to keep a journal, at least." Gibbs shifted his attention back to Kort. "Any indication they'll make a direct run at McGee?"

Kort gave it some serious thought, which both impressed and worried Gibbs. "Not yet, but I wouldn't let my guard down."

"Wasn't planning on it."

Guessing that the two men wanted to discuss details that they didn't want him to worry about, Tim picked up their plates and started to walk into the kitchen. Kort looked down at what Tim was carrying before looking at Gibbs. "Since when do you eat vegetables?"

Tim laughed as he vanished into the kitchen and Kort put the pieces together and grinned. Gibbs just rolled his eyes at him. "Shut up, Kort."


	17. Chapter 17

Early the next morning, Tim was finally enjoying the French toast with mixed berries that he'd been promised when Gibbs' phone started ringing. After the day before, Tim glared at the offending device and pulled his plate closer. Laughing, Gibbs checked the caller ID before putting the phone on speaker.

"Hey, Abs, what's up?"

_I'm going to bring a pot of gumbo over for dinner tonight for you guys. _

Gibbs saw the expression on Tim's face. "Not too spicy, okay?"

_Okay, I'll tone it down. Anything you need from the store?_

The bowl of fruit was still half filled and Gibbs nudged McGee's arm. "Do you want some ice cream with that for dessert tonight?"

Even as a child, Tim hadn't been a huge fan of ice cream, but in his quest for healthier foods, he'd discovered his ultimate treat. Just the thought put a dreamy smile on his face. "Not ice cream, yogurt." Next to him, Gibbs' lip curled.

"Yogurt?"

Tim didn't notice the expression on Gibbs' face. "Greek yogurt."

"Yogurt?"

"Honey Greek yogurt." The smile grew wider in anticipation.

Over the speaker, they could hear Abby giggling at them before promising to get both. After Gibbs closed his phone, he raised an eyebrow at McGee. "Yogurt? Really?" When Tim opened his mouth, Gibbs just shook his head. "You made me eat vegetables yesterday, so don't even think about it."

Tim snickered but didn't roll his eyes as he picked up their plates. When Gibbs started to take them, he shook his head. "I'm not helpless. You cooked, I'll do the dishes."

Recognizing the stubborn expression, Gibbs just grabbed a dishtowel and started drying.

Once they were finished, Gibbs insisted he lay down on the sofa and tossed him a blanket. "Here, stretch out and put your feet up."

Tim's hip was aching, so he didn't argue about resting, but he didn't want the blanket. "It's plenty warm in here."

"Workmen just pulled in."

"What workmen?" The t-shirt he was wearing didn't hide his bump at all, so Tim covered up with the blanket.

Instead of answering, Gibbs opened the door, carefully checking ID before letting the two men in. Tim immediately smiled when the recognized the logo on their shirts.

The cable installers were almost finished when Ziva, Tony and Jimmy arrived, carrying in Tim's television and computer. It took several trips to bring in all the components, the computer desk and the wall mount. The guys started on the television first, and with some advice from the installers the large screen TV was mounted on the bedroom wall while McGee abandoned his perch on the sofa and Ziva helped him set up the computer in a corner of the living room.

The house had never been wired for cable television and internet, so it took several hours, but eventually Tony leaned over to whisper in Tim's ear. "Ten bucks says that you'll have the Boss sitting on your bed watching a game by the end of the weekend."

Having been warned by Ducky that Gibbs was, as Abby had told Ziva, in full Papa Bear mode, the team cleared out right behind the installers, and Gibbs turned on his old TV, checking out the new channels.

"There's a fishing channel?"

-NCIS-

Pulling out the pastries Ruth had sent, Gibbs insisted that Tim take a break from the computer. "Any luck finding a car?"

"Got my list narrowed down and have an appointment to look at three tomorrow. Also, a guy from the local Porsche club has a cash buyer for my Boxster." Tim peeled off a layer of the flaky sweet roll, suddenly pensive, as he looked at Gibbs. "So much has happened so quickly, I haven't had a chance to say it before, but thank you. You've totally uprooted your comfortable life to take care of us and that's not something most people would have done, and you did it before you even knew the baby was yours."

Gibbs' expression was unreadable, but it did something deep within Tim's stomach as the older man reached out and brushed the back of his fingers down Tim's face. "I may not have known for sure about the baby, but you've been mine for a long time, since the first day I put you on my team." He started to pull Tim closer, but the familiar sound of a roadster could be heard pulling into the driveway and he dropped his forehead against Tim's instead. "Abby's here."

Tim silently cursed Abby's timing as they slowly pulled apart. By the time Gibbs got to the door, Abby was already standing there, a large pot in her hands and a bag hanging off her arm. "Hey, I hope you guys are hungry, cause I made a ton. It's pretty mild like you asked, Gibbs, but it should still have enough flavor."

Abby moved into the kitchen and set the pot on the stove before emptying the bag. The yogurt went into the fridge and the ice cream into the freezer while she started the rice. Tim joined her to start a salad. Abby raised an eyebrow at the amount of lettuce Tim was adding to the bowl. "Craving greens, Timmy?"

He licked the oil and vinegar off his fingers and grinned. "Yeah, kinda, besides you're staying for dinner, right? That's three of us."

"You really think you're going to get Gibbs to eat something green?" She returned the grin as she snagged a slice of cucumber from the bowl, turning serious a moment later. "Honest answer, McGee, how are you doing with all of this?"

He slowly mixed the salad as he thought about how to word his thoughts. "It was really hard when I was Davidson's prisoner, very dehumanizing..."

"And now?"

"Gibbs has really gone out of his way to take care of us." Tim gently touched his belly. "Even before he knew the baby was his, he was willing to do anything necessary to help me. We weren't all that close before, but now he's the best friend I could ever have."

Abby gave him a sly look as she remembered things he'd let slip over the years. "Just a friend?"

"Don't go there, Abby."

-NCIS-

Much to her surprise, Gibbs scooped a healthy serving of the dressed greens onto his plate. "Since when do you eat salad, Bossman?"

Gibbs glanced over at McGee before answering her. "Gotta set a good example."

Abby failed at muffling her giggles. "For the baby? I don't think he's paying attention yet."

"Eat, Abs." Gibbs stared at her, eyebrow raised before returning his attention to the food on his plate, taking a big forkful of salad first to make his point.

While they ate, conversation centered around neutral subjects, but Tim would not tell any details about the car hunt. "You'll just have to see what we drive to the Yard, Abby."

Having tickets to a concert, Abby didn't stay for dessert. After she left, Tim scraped and rinsed the dishes while Gibbs dished up Tim's yogurt. Used to living alone, he automatically licked the spoon, freezing when he tasted the honey flavored Greek yogurt. "That's good."

Drying his hands, Tim had to laugh. "Don't sound so surprised."

"But it's yogurt."

"Yep." Tim got out another spoon and scooped a healthy pile of berries over his yogurt, leaving Gibbs holding the carton and a spoon. As he walked into the living room he could hear the other man mumbling, but Tim wisely kept his comments to himself when Gibbs joined him a few minutes later with his own bowl filled with yogurt instead of ice cream. Instead, he found a football game on the television.

They were part way through the first quarter, squinting at the small screen when Tim gave into his curiosity. "Why is my TV in the bedroom instead of out here?"

Gibbs set his empty bowl aside and touched Tim's belly. "At some point, they're probably going to put you on bed rest."

"Hopefully, not for a couple of months." Tim laid his hand over Gibbs', a position they were finding themselves in, more and more. "We're doing really good."

"Yeah, you are." Smiling, Gibbs spread his fingers to cover more of Tim's bump. "What do you say, should we pick up a new TV for out here? You can tell DiNozzo that you dragged me into the twenty-first century kicking and screaming."

The vertical hold on the old tube TV faltered for a moment and as the image rolled, something happened to cause a lot of yelling in the stadium. Both men leaned forward to figure out what play they'd missed as Tim agreed with him. "We can pick up a TV on our way home from the dealership, but I want to see what's happening now." Tim levered himself up, pulling Gibbs with him, and led him into the bedroom so they could actually see the game.

* * *

><p><strong>an - Okay, I've caught up with myself, but hopefully this time I'll get my four day weekend to write and HOPEFULLY the site is finally done tweaking out. For those of you who were able to get through, thank you for your reviews.**


	18. Chapter 18

Vance did a double-take as he walked to his office, stopping to look down into the squad room. It was almost an hour before the day shift started, but DiNozzo and David were already at their desks, supposedly working, but they were popping up to look out the window every few seconds. Curious, he turned around and went down the stairs.

Still nothing in the parking lot, so Tony moved to return to his desk, only to have his path blocked by the Director. Vance didn't say anything, but the crossed arms and raised eyebrow had the younger man blurting out an answer, nonetheless. "Probie sold his Porsche and he and Gibbs bought a baby-mobile."

The pieces were falling into place. "Ah, and you want to see it for yourself."

"Well, yeah. I mean, Gibbs in a minivan? It's not very manly, if you know what I mean."

"Really?" Vance was more amused than angry, but he kept his expression neutral. "Our family vehicle was a minivan until we moved to DC."

"And you pulled it off very well, Sir." Tony glanced over at Ziva, giving her his famous, _why didn't you shut me up in time_ look, but she just smiled sweetly in return. While the exchange was going on, the elevator arrived with Gibbs and McGee.

Wearing another altered suit, Tim looked almost normal as he walked to his desk and caught the look on Tony's face. "What?"

Tony almost bounced as he joined them. "I hear you two went car shopping. So, what did you get?"

Gibbs smiled as he thought back to the previous day. He'd been immediately impressed by Tim's plan to purchase a slightly used car instead of taking the full hit of depreciation himself. Tim's choice of cars had been brilliant and he'd seen a whole different side of the younger man as he'd negotiated the deal he wanted.

Calm, cool and collected, he'd had the dealer thrilled as they hammered out a deal including an extended warranty and replacement of the windshield. Neither he nor the salesman had seen the tiny chip until McGee had pointed it out, but it had the potential to turn into a full crack at the first hard freeze. Eager to close the deal, a complete detail, inside and out, including a protective Scotchguard treatment had been offered.

It wasn't until they started talking terms and interest rate that Gibbs prepared to step in as it was obvious this was where the dealership planned on making their money. When offered the rather high interest rate, Tim just shook his head and pulled out his checkbook, writing a check for the full purchase price, thus saving himself thousands in interest. The best part had been when Tim informed the salesman that they were a Dodge family. He'd liked the sound of that, almost as much as the Dodge Magnum with the HEMI engine that Tim had picked.

Tim smiled as he moved closer to his desk. "We pick it up in the morning, Tony."

"Yeah, so what'd ya get? Do you really think you're going to get Gibbs behind the wheel of a minivan?" When Tim rolled his eyes, Tony turned his focus on the older man. "Well, Boss?"

Gibbs shared a smile with Tim before returning his attention to Tony. "Not a minivan, DiNozzo, we got a station wagon. Now, let's see how many of these file you can get through today since you came in so early." He slapped a file against Tony's chest to make his point before following Vance upstairs.

Ziva retreated to her own desk, leaving Tony to perch on the corner of McGee's. "Really, Probie, a station wagon? I thought they stopped making those about thirty years ago. So, how old is this thing? How many miles are on it? It doesn't have that fake wood grain stuff on it, does it?"

McGee started at the beginning. "It's only four years old, has less than twenty-five thousand miles and there's no wood grain, real or fake."

"But it's a station wagon, McGee."

-NCIS-

"So, Gibbs, a station wagon?" Now that the two men were alone, Vance could voice his amusement. "Please tell me he didn't buy an Oldsmobile, at least." Even after all these years, Leon still hadn't quite forgiven his mother for trading in his father's Mustang convertible for the oversized car they'd had for most of his teenage years.

"Nah." Gibbs had a half grin as he cocked his head. "Dodge Magnum."

For a second Vance was jealous. "That's a station wagon like McGee's Porsche was a compact car." His eyes narrowed as he watched the other man. "Let me guess, it's got the big engine."

The grin widened as he rattled off the specs. "Three hundred and forty horsepower, 5.7-liter V8 HEMI, with the performance package and the touring suspension. Loads of leg room, front and back, and plenty of cargo space to haul anything we need."

Vance laughed and shook his head. "In other words, you can chase bad guys on your way to day care."

Suddenly serious, Gibbs thought about the visit from Kort. "I want my family safe, Leon, and part of that is the car we drive. It needs to have the power to move in a hurry."

"Has something else happened?" All traces of humor gone, Vance leaned forward, elbows on his desk.

"Kort dropped by on Saturday. Somebody over there high up and well protected would like to see everything connected to Davidson wiped out."

"Including Tim?" Vance didn't like this new development. "Have McGee transition to a shoulder holster. I want him armed at all times, even when he's got protection. Did Kort have any suggestions?"

"Yeah, and Tim's already working on it."

"Good, tell me the plan."

-NCIS-

When lunch rolled around, Tony cautiously turned to McGee. "We're making a run to the Atrium; what weird concoction do you want us to bring back for you?"

Tim didn't have to think twice. "I'll take their chicken salad."

"And a milk, McGee?" Ziva pulled on her coat and smiled.

"Yeah." He wasn't thrilled, but knew how much he needed the calcium.

Tony saw his expression and decided to surprise him with a treat as he turned to the other person on the team. "Your usual, Boss?"

"Nope," he exchanged a look with Tim, "got a meeting with somebody as soon as you two get back."

-NCIS-

Vance made the phone call as per Gibbs' request. "Admiral McGee, if you and your wife would like to come to the Yard on Thursday, we can arrange for you to visit with Tim.

"I'm sorry, Sir, this was your son's choice.

"Very well, we will see you on Thursday." Vance laid the handset down on the cradle and rubbed his face. He didn't envy McGee at all.

-NCIS-

"Come on, let's take a walk." Gibbs handed Rachel a cup of coffee and headed further into the park. Reaching a deserted area, he sat on a bench and waited for her to catch up.

Rachel brushed off some of the leaves before she joined him. "Boy, Gibbs, whatever you want to talk about, you don't want to be overheard, do you?"

"Nope, sign this."

She took the form and looked it over. "A non-disclosure agreement? In all the things we've talked about, you've never asked for this before."

"Nothing's been this important before." He pulled a pen out and handed it to her, not saying another word until she did. "You ever heard of this guy?"

The next thing handed to Rachel was a copy of Davidson's original research proposal. She skimmed it, remembering the outrage in the medical community at the time. "Davidson? He's a quack, was drummed out of every research hospital after he made this proposal."

"Yeah, he joined up with the CIA, used the lack of oversight to fund this project."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Are you saying he went through with this? He actually had men that volunteered?"

"And when he managed to kill his volunteers, he acquired living bodies by other means." He waited until he saw the realization on her face, then told her the rest. "He had Vance, Tony, Tim and me kidnapped, decided which of the four of us was the most likely to survive the experiment and released the rest after taking the necessary samples."

"Who?"

"Tim is a little over sixteen weeks pregnant with my child."

"It worked? The fetus is viable?"

Gibbs pulled out the ultrasound picture he now carried. "My son is perfect and developing right on schedule."

"Your son?" Rachel studied him for a long minute before nodding. "Wow, I guess you're okay with it."

He handed her the picture and stared at it in her hand. "After all these years, I'm going to be a father again – yeah, I'm very okay with it."

"And Tim?"

"Determined to have the baby."

As a psychologist, she had plenty of questions, but decided to start with the practical. "Have the two of you talked through custody arrangements yet?"

"Nothing to work out. He's moved in with me and we're going to raise our boy together."

"And he's agreed to this?"

"Like I said, he's moved in."

Rachel was suspicious the two men hadn't actually discussed long term plans, but for now she changed direction. "I can't imagine the stress Tim is under, how is he handling it?"

"He's agreed that he should have some help with the changes in his life, he'd be most comfortable with you instead of a stranger."

"Of course, I'd be happy to help him, to help both of you. These are some life altering changes."

Gibbs relaxed at her immediate acceptance. Knowing their very traditional family values, he hadn't been one hundred percent sure, which is why he met with her away from the Yard and away from McGee. "Appreciate it, especially since his parents dragged him to court right after his rescue."

"What on Earth for?"

"Tried to declare him incompetent."

"Based on what?" She could tell that, whatever it was, Gibbs was angry about it still.

"Based on the fact that he wanted to make his own decision about keeping the pregnancy."

"And they wanted him to get rid of it?"

"They wanted him to be cut open against his will and the artificial womb ripped right out of him."

"Along with the baby?"

"Yeah." Gibbs pursed his lips, forcing himself to calm down. "Tim called Vance Sunday and agreed to meet with his parents, now that they're having second thoughts about how they were treating him."

"You're worried."

"Hell, yeah."

Rachel studied him. She could see the worry, but more importantly, she could see the underlying fear. From the stories she'd heard from Kate, to the interactions she'd had personally with the team, Dr. Cranston had never associated Gibbs with that particular emotion before. "You're more than worried."

"Tim's relationship with his father has been strained for a long time. His mother is only able to stand up to the man when he's on the other side of the world."

"Any other family that he's close to?"

"Grandmother and sister, both out of the country with the parents as the only contact. For all I know, they weren't even told when he was snatched."

"So, Dad could be telling them anything he wants?" She was pretty sure what question was coming and decided not to wait. "You want me to referee the meeting between Tim and his parents."

"Let's just say that you'll be part of the referee team."

* * *

><p><strong>an - Sigh, between the auto-update that screwed up everything on my computer and the site's problems, I didn't think I'd ever get this posted (and I still can't fix all the formatting). I'm just assuming you guys are still reading this, because my chapter counts are non-existent. :(**


	19. Chapter 19

"Here you go." Tony set down the boxed chicken salad along with a small fruit bowl and an individual serving bottle of chocolate milk. "I checked, there's no bananas in the fruit mix."

"Thanks, Tony."

Instead of leaving, Tony perched on the corner of Tim's desk. "How's it going, you and Gibbs living in the same house?"

Tim blushed slightly and ducked his head. "It's going good, real good."

"This is what you wanted, right? I mean, having Gibbs as the father." Tony kept his voice light and Tim didn't look up to see his eyes.

"Yeah." The blush deepened as he shrugged. "I mean, I was prepared to do it all on my own, but it's really nice that I don't have to, and Gibbs is thrilled to be a dad again." Surprised that he was being questioned about this again, Tim finally looked up. "What about you, looking forward to being an uncle?"

"All of the fun and none of the work, right? Sounds good to me." Tony quickly left to return to his own desk before Tim could question him further.

-NCIS-

"Really, how is Tim handling the stress?" Dr. Cranston remembered the young agent as slightly neurotic and nervous about what people thought about him. "Exactly how long was he held prisoner?"

He hated to even think about those rough weeks. "Just short of four months. He was having nightmares at first, but he's sleeping better now."

"After being rescued for less than a week?" Rachel had treated plenty of patients that had buried their trauma rather than face it to know that was a real concern.

"Things improved over the weekend." Gibbs smiled as he thought about what had brought about the changes. Saturday night they'd retired to McGee's bedroom to watch the rest of the game. He'd encouraged Tim to stretch out on the bed, while Gibbs leaned against the headboard. By the end of the quarter, Tim was dozing and by the end of the first half, he was snuggled up against Gibbs. Not interested in the half-time show, Gibbs had scooted down, resting his cheek on the top of Tim's head and wrapping his arms around him when he became restless. The nightmare had stopped immediately and Tim had slept peacefully the rest of the night. Gibbs had too, if he were honest with himself.

The next day it wasn't even discussed. He'd kissed the top of Tim's head before climbing out of bed that morning to grab the crackers and that night, he'd brought the box of crackers with him when they settled on the bed to watch another football game, the planned purchase of a new television for the living room ignored by both men. "We're sorting it out, Rachel. We're building a life together."

"A life together? Two straight men?" She had a lot more to say on the subject, but decided to wait until she could see them interacting together. "All right, when do we start? I want to have at least one session with Tim before we meet with his parents."

"Dinner tomorrow night?"

"You gonna make me come cook?"

Gibbs had to grin as he'd been known to do just that. "Nah, I'll do up some steaks and Tim can do a salad or something."

"You are going to eat something green?" She laughed as he rolled his eyes at her.

-NCIS-

Tony shook his head as he turned the key. He'd never in a million years expected to be driving Gibbs' truck once, let alone a second time, but somehow he and Palmer had been drafted to pick up some more of McGee's belongings from the storage unit. Several boxes of kitchen supplies, the carefully packed typewriter and an overstuffed chair were stacked in the bed of the truck and tied down with a tarp.

Jimmy checked the rope as he grinned. "How long before we're back here for his books?"

"Don't even think it, Palmer." Tony stared at the stack of heavy duty boxes that contained the largest collection of books he'd ever seen outside of a bookstore or library. "I don't even know where they'd put them."

They delivered the load, stacking the boxes on the dining table, before Tony helped Gibbs carry McGee's writing desk up from the basement.

Tim reached out and ran his hand across the newly refinished surface. "It turned out beautiful, Jethro."

Gibbs was pleased with both the reaction and the response as Tim was using his first name more often without even realizing it. "You know me, Tim, need to keep my hands busy." He ran his fingers over the surface that now felt like satin. "No matter how long it took to rescue you, wanted you to know that I never forgot, never gave up hope."

It was such an intimate moment that Jimmy was blushing. Gibbs and McGee walked through the living room, fingers interlaced as they debated a new layout. Tony knew he and Palmer would need to help move things, otherwise he would have suggested they slip out the door. As it was, he was grateful that Brenna was waiting for Jimmy, which gave them an excuse to leave as soon as the furniture was adjusted.

-NCIS-

After a restless night filled with dreams he couldn't remember, Tony showed up early at Gibbs' just as he and Tim were walking out the door. "Hey, Boss, thought you two could use a ride to pick up your new car. That way you won't have two cars at the Yard to deal with."

"And you get first peek?" Gibbs grinned at him. "Thanks, DiNozzo, that will make it easier." He knew Tim was perfectly capable of driving, but he didn't want the younger man in a car without him if he could help it.

Tony watched as Gibbs held the back door for Tim, then helped him with his seat belt. It was an intimate moment and Tony felt like a voyeur as Gibbs' strong fingers carefully adjusted the shoulder belt across Tim's lap and above his abdomen.

Small talk was the order of the day as both Gibbs and McGee deflected Tony's casual questions about the car, forcing him to wait and see for himself. At the dealership he followed them as they went in and signed the last papers before the dealer lead the three agents to the detail shop.

Low to the ground and powerful looking, the family's new car was waiting for them. Deep burgundy metallic paint, set off by high-end chrome wheels and a charcoal colored leather interior, it had Tony laughing. "That's not a station wagon, guys. That's a hot rod with a hatchback."

Gibbs could have argued with him, but firing up the engine inside the shop made the walls vibrate, probably negating any attempt to convince him otherwise. Instead, he grinned and tapped the accelerator. "Hey, DiNozzo, parenthood doesn't make us stodgy."

Tony laughed and shook his head. "Boss, you'll never be stodgy."

-NCIS-

"So, when do I get to drive it?" Ziva had been drooling ever since she'd seen them arrive.

McGee didn't even look up from the computer. "How often did I let you drive the Porsche, Ziva?"

"Forget it, Ziva, I already tried. Best I could do was to get Gibbs to let us ride with them for lunch today." Tony stifled a chuckle as she immediately checked the clock.

The team did take an early lunch, since very little was getting done, much to Vance's amusement. Tony and Ziva were both impressed with the amount of leg room there was in the back seat, even with Tim's seat moved all the way back to give him the most space between his belly and the passenger side air bag. Gibbs nodded at their appreciation. "Once Junior arrives, one of us will always be in the back seat with him, so we wanted plenty of space."

"Well, you've got it. Even middle hump wouldn't be so bad in this ride."

Ziva had to agree as she stretched her arms, but she had a different question. "Have you started thinking about a name yet?"

"Not yet, we'll know it when it's time." Gibbs reached over and squeezed Tim's hand before firing up the engine, grinning at the expressions he saw in the rear view mirror as the car roared to life. Just for good measure, he laid down a strip of rubber as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Up in his office, Vance watched the car leave, laughing as he sipped his coffee. Years ago, Jenny Shepard had said the MCRT team was a handful. She had no idea.

-NCIS-

As they waited for their food, Tim was tapping away at his phone. "What kind of steaks do we want for tonight?"

"Making out our shopping list?"

"Placing the order online, we'll just have to pull in and pick it up." Tim gave Gibbs the options available and keyed in the rest of their order when he saw Gibbs' reaction to the sale on rib eye steaks.

Tony watched in amazement as instead of objecting and insisting on hand choosing their meat, Gibbs leaned closer to add more to the order. Their heads almost touching, the two men reviewed the other meats on sale, picking several more items to put in the freezer.

The order was sent just as lunch arrived and the conversation steered towards safe topics. As they ate, Ziva watched the three men. Tony was laughing and joking as usual, but there was a brittleness to him that she hadn't seen before. With McGee, she could already see the glow so many people talked about in regards to pregnant women, but she didn't dare mention that to him. He was relaxed as he bantered with Tony, but he was sitting very close to Gibbs and it was obvious to her how much strength he drew from the other man.

Gibbs was the one that surprised her. Ever since the beginning, she'd known about his wife and daughter, understood the pain she saw in his eyes when no one else did. He still held his emotions close to him, probably always would, but she could see flickers of joy, of a lightness she'd never associated with the older man. He hovered over McGee, nothing overt, but aware of his moods and needs and ready to step in whenever necessary. The relationship was evolving - into what she didn't know, but it seemed to suit them both. For that, she was happy.

-NCIS-

They were half way back to the Yard when Tim pulled out his phone and started frantically typing. Tony peered over the headrest and saw the app for the grocery story before breaking into a grin as he turned to Ziva. "I believe we just saw the actual moment a craving hit."

"Very funny, Tony." Tim may have been grumbling, but he was quite happy when his order updated successfully.

Slightly worried, Gibbs glanced over at him. "It's not something really weird, is it?"

"Nah, just some fontina cheese. You might even like it."

Instead of parking, Gibbs pulled up in front of the main door. "Tony, you and Ziva continue to background Anderson for us. Tim and I are going out to the firing range."

"We are?" That was the first Tim had heard about it. Gibbs reached over and rubbed his belly.

"Your center of gravity is constantly changing now. You need to get used to that and drawing from a shoulder holster."

-NCIS-

"Wow, I didn't think it would be this bad." Tim adjusted his stance, sliding his foot back a few more inches before he fired again. His first shot had almost knocked him off his feet and it wasn't until his fifth clip that he was able to get a grouping that even remotely satisfied him.

Gibbs tapped the back of his head. "Hey, you haven't fired a gun in months, right?"

"Yeah." In fact, his last time on the range had been almost three weeks before the kidnapping.

From the back of McGee's head, Gibbs' hand slid down to clasp his neck. "You haven't shot in ages, you've had to totally change your stance and drawing from a shoulder holster is a whole lot different than from the hip. Just one of those things is enough to foul you up. That last grouping was almost good enough to re-qualify, and sooner than I was expecting."

"Really?"

"Yep, but that's enough for today. Let's get our groceries and go home so you can put your feet up for a while before Dr. Cranston shows up." Gibbs steered him to the bench to grab their gear before heading back to the car.

* * *

><p><strong>an - Thanks, guys, you rock. Now if I could just figure out how the update for Internet Explorer screwed up the archive formatting, I'd be thrilled. I've got it figured out for here, but the other three archives I use can't be updated from IE, I have to use Chrome and in Chrome I have to do all the HTML by hand, otherwise it strips it. Weird.**


	20. Chapter 20

Rachel was surprised at first to find the door locked, but when she thought about the changes in Gibbs' life, she was convinced that it was a positive sign and quietly knocked. She heard movement and a moment later the man in question opened the door. She smiled at him. "This might take some getting used to."

"Things are different now." He took her coat and hung it on the coat rack as she studied him.

"Thought you hated change?"

Gibbs thought about it for a second, then shrugged. "Some changes can be good, real good. Come on in, I'm just getting ready to put the steaks on."

The living room was becoming a blend of the two men and Rachel studied it, trying to decide exactly what had changed since her last visit. The sofa was now facing the fireplace, a large chair at an angle to it, but in the middle of the room was a large wooden desk, right behind the sofa. Only a few lights were on and the newly refinished wood glowed in the firelight.

Tim came in from the kitchen and Rachel got her first look at him. He looked much further along than the sixteen weeks she'd been told, but then she realized that the artificial womb would have added bulk also. He nodded at her and gave a soft greeting, but returned to the kitchen after dropping a heavy pad next to a plate of bread chunks on the desk. Whatever they were cooking made the whole place smell of herbs and garlic.

Before she could ask, Gibbs shook his head. "I have no idea, but it's one of his better smelling cravings."

"Oh, yeah." Rachel took a deep breath as Tim returned with a hot skillet and set it on the pad. It was filled with melted cheese, slightly browned on the top. "Now that's what I call a craving."

Gibbs studied it before picking up a chunk of bread to scoop up some of the cheese. It was almost too hot to eat, but he popped it in his mouth anyways. "Damn, McGee, where'd you learn to make this and why didn't any of us know about it?"

"Had it up in New York when I was on a book tour and the chef gave a demonstration on how to make it." Once Rachel had some, Tim scooped some up for himself, making sure to catch some of the crusty edge from the side of the skillet.

"You can crave this whenever you want." His third piece in hand, Gibbs retreated to the kitchen to grab the steaks.

Rachel and Tim had settled on opposite ends of the sofa, both within reach of the appetizer, and she noted how aware of Gibbs he was, even when the older man was out of view. "I must admit, I was expecting someone a lot more frail looking, even after Gibbs told me that you were doing well."

"If I'd been frail, Davidson wouldn't have chosen me."

"No, I suppose not. Does that bother you, that you were the one chosen?"

"It's funny." Tim brushed some crumbs off the back of the sofa as he gathered his thoughts. "Six months ago, if somebody had asked me if I wanted to be surgically altered so that I could get pregnant, I'd have called them nuts for even thinking it was possible."

"And now?"

"I used to worry so much because I couldn't find a woman that could love me. They all wanted to trick me or cheat me or change me somehow, even Abby. I let them walk all over me because I was so desperate to find someone that thought I was worth sticking around for – worth having a kid with. Now, I don't have to settle or try to be something I'm not. It's very... freeing."

Technically, it wasn't an answer to her question, but in reality it answered so much more. Changing the subject so Gibbs wouldn't have to hide in the kitchen any more, Rachel scooped another healthy serving on the melted cheese onto a chunk of bread. "You've got to show me how you make this. I'd love to surprise my husband with it for our anniversary."

"Sure, but it's almost embarrassingly easy. All you really need is a well seasoned cast iron skillet. That one was my grandmother's."

Gibbs came in with the steaks ready to put on the fire. "Really? Never would have pegged Penny as the cast iron kind of cook."

"Only to bash in the head of a chauvinist. No, the other side of the family. Grandma Wilson was the traditional country cook and every Sunday she'd make fried chicken in that skillet."

Rachel was piecing together what she could about Tim's family and background. "It sounds like your two grandmothers were polar opposites."

"More like two sides of the same coin. Penny is very in your face as a feminist and insisting that her way is the right one, while Grams just let Grandpa think he was in charge. Of course, the man never made a decision that was different than what she wanted." Tim gave a short laugh and shook his head. "The one thing they agreed with was that they both loved their grandchildren, always made us feel special, even if they had totally different ways of showing it."

"Did you spend much time with them when you were growing up?" Rachel could tell that this was the first clue in understanding the surprisingly complicated young man.

Tim thought back. "My dad's family is all Navy. My grandfather was an Admiral and Dad was working his way up the ranks when I was a kid. It was all holiday dinners and official functions. I knew the difference between a fish fork and a salad fork before I could ride a bike."

Gibbs remembered an earlier conversation. "That's why your mother was so laid back when your dad was deployed."

"And made sure I got to spend a month at her parents' farm every summer, even if he was stateside."

It took Gibbs a second to realize what was wrong with that statement. "Just you, not Sarah?"

"She never got the chance. Drunk driver hit their truck head on when I was ten. Grandpa was killed instantly, Grams ended up in a nursing home. My uncle had the farm sold to a developer a week after he gained power of attorney. She didn't last long after that."

-NCIS-

During dinner, Rachel observed the two men and how they interacted, filing that information away for later, when Tim started formal sessions with her. After they cut into the pie she'd brought, she started asking about what Tim expected to happen on Thursday. "I understand that your father is having second thoughts about how he reacted?"

Tim was drinking milk, but leaned close as Gibbs poured the coffee, enjoying the smell. "I'm fairly sure it's more that he's upset about being played by Dr. Anderson. I can pretty much guarantee you that he's not happy about my life not fitting what he had planned, not that it ever did."

"What did he have planned for you?"

"After I finished my first undergrad degree, I was supposed to go into the Naval Academy. By now I should be heading up my own research division and be highly ranked for a man of my age. I should have a wife that understands her place as a Navy wife and is busily entertaining and helping me climb the promotion ladder, and of course, raising my two point five children to follow the family tradition."

"Instead, you're a civilian and you carry a gun instead of a test tube."

"Yeah, and still unmarried. Worse than that, I'm unmarried and pregnant." He gave a slightly hysterical laugh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Talk about ironic. I've never had a sexual encounter of any kind that didn't involve a condom. My father drilled that into my head – never trust a woman that claims she's using birth control, Timothy, she probably trying to trick you. Never let her provide the condoms, Timothy, she probably poked holes in it. He talked to me more about birth control and responsibility more than every other subject combined and here I am – currently the world's only pregnant man."

Now he was laughing so hard, he had tears in his eyes. "For all his worry, I bet he didn't see this one coming."

Even Gibbs was chuckling as he tugged Tim closer. "I think both of our dads missed the 'don't let yourself get kidnapped by the mad scientist' lecture." He waited until Tim looked at him. "But I'm not complaining."

-NCIS-

"Umm, there's something you should probably know before Thursday."

The obvious discomfort behind those words stopped Rachel as she was putting on her coat. Tim wouldn't look her in the eye as he continued to explain. "The reason that my dad and I haven't spoken for so long is that I didn't go to the ceremony when he was promoted from Vice Admiral to Admiral. He's never really forgiven me."

The significance of that ceremony wasn't lost on her, but Gibbs understood even more how important it was. "Because of a case, McGee? You should have said something."

"It wasn't just a case, Boss. We were after Ari."

Rachel was so stunned by the confession that she didn't notice the shift in names. "Your father is holding it against you that you tracked down the monster that gunned down my sister?"

"I don't regret my decision, just didn't want you to get blindsided if he throws in my face again."

Feeling very protective of the young man her sister had been so fond of, Rachel gently pressed her hands against his cheeks. "No matter what happens Thursday, just remember that you and your baby have plenty of people that love you and are going to be there for you."

"Absolutely, and our little guy is going to have Grandpa Jack and Grandpa Ducky to spoil him rotten." Gibbs was convinced that his father would be accepting, once he knew.

"That will be great." Not looking or sounding as pleased as his words appeared, Tim retreated back to the kitchen as Gibbs walked her out.

Rachel held her question until they were out in the driveway. "Jack?"

"My father."

"What about your mom?"

"Died a long time ago."

"So, unless his father comes around or his mother suddenly learns to stand up to him, there's no future grandmother in the picture. Considering what a strong influence his own grandmothers had on his childhood, he must consider that a glaring hole in his future."

"You want me to play nice with his parents."

It was very apparent how much she was asking of him. "I think it's important, Jethro. Otherwise, we need to get your father re-married."

"I'll play nice."

-NCIS-

It had been a very long day and Tim was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Gibbs was the one that was restless and unable to sleep that night. Without the excuse of watching television, he'd automatically ended up on the sofa, but it was hard and lumpy, something he hadn't noticed before. Giving up, he retreated downstairs. Now that the desk was out of the basement, the space looked empty and he wandered around, looking for a new project. He had plenty of wood, but it was a tarp wrapped item on the top shelf that caught his eye. Taking it down carefully, he laid it on the workbench before unwrapping it.

The hand made cradle was smaller than he remembered, but it had easily held Kelly the first few months of his life. The finish wasn't as smooth as anything he would do now, and there was one spot where it was worn off completely. Calloused fingers ran over the bare wood as memories overtook him.

Colic, the doctors called it. Don't worry, it won't last long. That had been easy for the doctors to say, they weren't the ones listening to her wail all night. Only the gentle swaying of the bed gave any of them relief, and Gibbs had spent many nights gently rocking it with his foot against the side panel as he dozed in a chair.

Smiling at the memory, Gibbs found some steel wool and began to smooth the surface, bringing it up to his current standards without sanding away the history.


	21. Chapter 21

Tim woke to weak winter sunlight in the bedroom, only to find himself clinging to the far side of the bed. If he were to relax, he'd probably fall off the edge, so he carefully scooted back to what he considered his side of the bed. The sudden awakening coupled with the extra movement was enough that even the crackers couldn't help that morning. He only had the box half open before he had to abandon them in a dash to the bathroom.

He was just starting to rinse his mouth when Gibbs pounded up the stairs. "Hey, you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Tim frowned as he was guided back to the bedroom. "Really, I'm fine now."

Gibbs sat him on the bed before squatting down in front of him. "Any idea what set it off this morning?"

"Probably too much quick movement." Tim's ears turned red as he confessed the rest. "Not sure why, but I ended up on the back edge of the bed this morning, woke up just as I was starting to fall."

A flash of guilt hit Gibbs as he remembered how Tim had spooned up against him over the weekend, backing up until he was securely tucked against Gibbs. "It's still pretty early, why don't you lay back down for a while? Tomorrow could be pretty rough, you need to be well rested." To prove his point, Gibbs joined him on the bed, sitting up against the headboard as he had that first night. Once Tim was asleep, he sent off a quick text so no one would come looking for them and then laid down against him. Tim immediately rolled to his side, pressing back against Gibbs. They fit together perfectly and Gibbs closed his eyes, his hand protectively over their baby. A quiet day sleeping sounded pretty good.

-NCIS-

After checking the clock for what felt like the hundredth time, Tony reached for the phone just as Vance came down the stairs.

"Don't."

"Sir?"

"Don't call Gibbs."

"You've heard from him?"

"He and McGee are taking a personal day before dealing with the Admiral tomorrow. He specifically said that he doesn't want any calls or visits from anyone today."

"Oh, okay." Tony pulled his hand away from the phone, but he looked lost. After Vance returned upstairs, Ziva came over to sit on the corner of his desk.

"Something is bothering you."

"Kinda hard to remember that we're still a team." Tony yanked open his top desk drawer, rifling through it in frustration.

She watched him carefully. "Because they want a day to themselves? Yesterday McGee met with Dr. Cranston, tomorrow he must face his parents. Is it such a surprise that Gibbs wants him to rest today?"

"But we're not just anybody."

"No, we are not. We are his family, the people that should be the most understanding. This is not what is bothering you, Tony, what is it?"

He slammed the drawer shut and lurched to his feet. "Nothing I'm going to talk to you about." He stepped around her, heading for the vending machines in the break room.

-NCIS-

"Good morning."

Tim opened his eyes to see a saltine cracker hovering in front of him. Remembering the rough start the day before, he took the cracker and started taking small bites before he even tried to move. Even though he'd slept more than he'd thought possible in the last twenty-four hours, he did remember Gibbs getting him up and to the bathroom several times and bringing him food.

"Morning, sorry for making you wait on me so much yesterday."

Their voices were soft, as if they didn't want to break the spell of the quiet morning. Gibbs stared down at him, his blue eyes especially intense as he spoke, not objecting to the forbidden apology at all. "It's okay, I'd forgotten how much I missed taking care of someone. Do you feel ready to get up?"

"I'm starving."

Gibbs had to grin. "Better get you fed before we enter the lion's den. I think it's time I introduced you to a little diner I know."

-NCIS-

"Edward, really, is the dress uniform really necessary? We're meeting our son, not the Joint Chiefs."

He very carefully smoothed down his shirt before meeting her eyes in the mirror. "We may be seeing Timothy, but we will be aboard the Navy Yard. Of course I will be in uniform. You'd better start getting ready, too, and make sure you wear your pearls. Admiral's wife, remember?" Not waiting for a response, he retreated to the small kitchenette in their hotel suite for a cup of coffee.

Alone in the bathroom, Melissa began to automatically pin her hair up, able to do it by memory without paying much attention to her reflection in the mirror as she murmured her protests. "I don't want to be the Admiral's wife today, I just want to be Tim's mom."

-NCIS-

"Thanks for coming in early, Abby."

Abby smiled at her late friend's sister. "Anything to help Timmy. So, what do you need?"

-NCIS-

"Melissa, are you ready? We have reservations for the dining room in twenty minutes." A knock sounded at the door and he quickly checked that his jacket was perfect before turning the knob and staring in shock.

"Mother?"

"Hello, Edward."

-NCIS-

Gibbs parked in his customary place just as an elderly couple was walking out of the diner. "You get a new car, Gibbs?"

"Hey, Joe. Yep, we bought it a couple of days ago." Having circled around to the passenger side, Gibbs rested his hand on the small of Tim's back as they walked to the door, totally uninterested in the reaction his words would cause. Inside the diner, Gibbs went straight to the counter, sitting down after Tim.

"Haven't seen you for a few days." The ebony skinned woman was already pouring a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Elaine, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Like you to meet Tim. Tim, this is Elaine, maker of the best coffee in DC."

"Ma'am." Tim sat still as she gave him the once over. Apparently, he met her approval because she gave him a broad grin.

"Let me get the man a cup, let him make up his own mind."

"Thanks, but no coffee for me, doctor's orders." Tim gave her an apologetic smile. "I just have to settle for smelling his."

"How about some OJ then, fresh squeezed? Got time for a real breakfast, you two?" She watched them closely, suspecting that this was the kidnapped agent Jethro had been so worried about.

Gibbs saw the concern in her eyes, but knew she wouldn't press for details. "Gonna be a long day, how about a couple of your steak omelets?"

"Hold the mushrooms on yours?"

"Nah, I'll give them to Tim."

-NCIS-

"Mother, there was no need for you and Sarah to fly back early."

"No need? NO NEED? Was my grandson kidnapped or not?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"Was he experimented on or not?"

"Unfortunately..."

Did you try to take away what little control he has left of his life?"

"It's not that simple, Mother."

As the argument raged, Sarah slipped off to the side to greet her mother. "Guess you forgot to tell Daddy that you called Penny?"

Melissa returned the hug. "It must have slipped my mind. This is going to take a while; I'll cancel our reservations and order room service. What disgusting concoction do you want to eat in front of your father this morning?"

-NCIS-

McGee was laughing so hard his sides hurt as Elaine continued to tell the tale she'd started when she'd bought out their plates. "...and there was Jethro, standing next to the boiler, covered in soot, these two bright blue eyes glaring at me."

"Laugh it up, Elaine. I remember getting a phone call late one night..."

"Oh, now you don't need to be bringing that up."

"...about a bear that was getting into the garbage cans..."

"Tim, would you like some more toast?"

"...had Elaine and the rest of the girls trapped in here..."

"Now, that was an honest mistake."

"...scared to take the trash out."

"In my defense, the shadow made it look much bigger."

"Raccoon?"

Gibbs gave one last smirk to Elaine before answering Tim's question. "Poodle."

-NCIS-

Three generations of McGees sat stiffly at the table. Edward ignored both the bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter and pickles that Sarah was eating and the mounds of strawberry jam his wife was piling onto her English muffin as he ate his dry toast and soft boiled egg. Across from him, Penny glared as she picked apart her tofu scramble. Finally, he threw down his fork. "All right, Mother, just say it."

"Say what, Edward? That you were willing to put your relationship with Timothy behind your need to be right? That you were more worried about being embarrassed, than what he needed from his family? Do you need me to point out the irony of a man so opposed to abortion rights for women wanted to force the same thing onto his own son against his will?"

"It's not natural."

"Neither is an artificial heart valve, but you weren't objecting when that surgery gave us six more years with your father."

"That's entirely different."

"Not to the millions of infertile couples out there. Yes, that doctor was wrong. Yes, it was horrible that it was done to Timothy against his will, but it's an admirable thing he's doing, to make sure some good comes out of it." Penny glared at him before stabbing a chunk of red pepper with her fork. "It takes a strong man to do what he is doing."

"I don't know..."

"No, you don't, Daddy. You don't know Tim at all, you never have." Sarah used one of the pickle spears to scoop up more of her breakfast just to see the look on her father's face.

* * *

><p><strong>an - Daily updates this week, how does that sound? Let's just hope the site works all week.**


	22. Chapter 22

"Admiral and Mrs. McGee, welcome. Ms Langston, I wasn't aware that you were back from Europe, and you must be Sarah. Tim talks about you a great deal." Vance was putting on his best schmoozing face as he prepared to deal with the family. "We're all set up in my office, Tim should be arriving shortly."

With a wave of his arm, he escorted them in where Pamela was setting up an assortment of coffee and teas. Next to Rachel Cranston, Ducky was already at the conference table and he stood to great Penny with a kiss. "Hello, my dear, how are you?"

"Hello, Ducky, I'll be better as soon as I've seen Timothy. How do you think he is, honestly?"

A familiar laugh could be heard from the outer office and Ducky smiled. "I believe you will be able to ask him that yourself."

Tim walked in, shoulder to shoulder with Gibbs and in the middle of a conversation. "A poodle, Gibbs, really?"

"You don't know how ferocious they get when their nail polish gets chipped. Hey, at least I was off the clock and didn't have to write up a report."

"That report would have been a classic." Tim turned to face his parents. "Mom, Dad, thank you for agreeing to meet me... Penny? Sarah? When did you get here?"

The two women sandwiched him in a hug as his mother hovered halfway between her son and her husband. Sarah just clung to him while Penny started peppering him with questions. "How are you, Tim? Are they giving you proper medical care? Are they allowing you to see a therapist? Are they restricting your movements? Where are they allowing you to live?"

He held up a hand to stop the onslaught and start answering. "I'm doing good. The Navy's top obstetrician will see me every week; in fact, they've devoted an entire unit to my care. Dr. Cranston is my therapist, and I make my own choices, Penny, including where to live."

There was a pause as everyone sat down and the Admiral was studying Rachel closely. "A civilian headshrinker? Under the circumstances, do you think that's wise, Timothy?"

Gibbs was ready to step in, but Tim's hand was on his and it was still relaxed. "Aside from the fact that I'm also a civilian, Dad, I know Rachel and I trust her."

"I see, and you're really planning on going through with this? What happens afterward, assuming you survive? How are you going to explain exactly how you became a single father with no mother in the picture?"

"First off, I don't live my life based on what other people will think of me, and second, it's no one else's business. But most importantly, I won't be a single father."

"They found a woman that's agreed to pose as the mother?"

Tim almost rolled his eyes at the obtuseness of the man. "No, Dad, my baby's biological father and I will be raising our child together."

It took a moment for the words to register and it wasn't until he saw the interlaced fingers, that the Senior McGee put the pieces together. "What, getting pregnant wasn't emasculating enough, now you want what? You want to play the little woman for Gibbs?" He turned and glared at his mother. "This is all your fault. You and those damn red shoes."

"My fault? Because I encouraged him to see that there was more than the narrow minded version of life that you insisted he be confined to?"

"Admiral McGee, there is no reason to belittle your son's choices." Rachel was on the verge of standing up, but she settled for leaning forward. "Do you honestly believe that a child would be better off with some actress as window dressing as opposed to two loving, committed parents?"

He wasn't ready to totally give up. "There has to be a third option. He's still young, there's time for him to find a woman."

Rachel started to speak again, but Tim cut her off, thumping his own chest to make his point. "Just so you remember, Dad – I – am right here and I'm quite capable of making my own decisions. I may not have all the answers yet, but we are both committed to raising our son together. We'll just work out the details as we go."

"Details? This is a little more than details. People will think you're gay. Have you thought about what kind of an impact that will have your kid? Hell, what kind of an impact will that have on you, on your career? Gibbs is close enough to retirement that he can throw in the towel, but what about you? Have you..."

A sharp whistle cut him off, and Edward found himself face to face with Gibbs. "Hey, like Tim said, we'll work out the details, and guess what? Not only is DADT over and done with, we're a civilian agency here and in case you hadn't noticed, he's got the support of the Director and the SecNav, you know, your boss. Have you thought that that maybe you're the one that's out of step?"

Instead of continuing to argue, Edward froze as Tim's earlier words registered. "Your son? You're having a boy?"

"Yeah." Gibbs shifted, resting one arm across the back of Tim's chair, his other hand protectively on his belly. "We've got a beautiful baby boy on the way." After stroking his thumb against the bump, he straightened up enough to retrieve the ultrasound picture he carried. Taking a moment to smile at his son's image he handed the picture over to the eager hands of the future grandmother. The family stilled as they stared at the well formed details already visible on the tiny face.

Not surprisingly, it was Tim's father that broke the silence first. "This is really happening, isn't it?"

"Yeah, Dad, it is."

"Have you really thought about the details yet? Good grief, what about the birth certificate? How will his parentage be listed? That will follow him through the rest of his life. How will they react at Annapolis?"

Tim felt a bubble of hysterical laughter threatening to burst out. "Maybe he won't want to go into the Navy, Dad. Maybe he's follow his father's footsteps into the Marine Corps."

That stopped the older man for a moment. "A Jarhead? My grandson as a Jarhead? There has always been a McGee attached to the Navy. Granted until you, every McGee was actually a member of the Navy, but..."

"You're forgetting something, Dad." Tim waited until he had his father's attention. "It's tradition that a child carry his father's surname. He won't be a McGee, he'll be a Gibbs."

Up until that point, Vance felt like an observer at a caffeine fueled tennis match, but McGee's announcement seemed to derail the arguments. He watched in amusement as the Admiral sunk back in his chair while Gibbs visibly puffed up in pride. He decided that it might be a good time to take a break. "Why don't we take a few minutes. I'll have my assistant bring in some fresh coffee and juice." He looked to McGee to see if that was all right. Tim did look drained, a fact that Penny picked up on immediately.

"Absolutely, Director Vance. Timothy, sweetheart, stress like this isn't good for the baby. We are going to support you – and Gibbs – in whatever decisions you make." She may have been talking first to Vance and then to her grandson, but she was staring directly at her son, who didn't argue.

Using the excuse of printing a copy of the latest ultrasound, the three generations of McGee women walked out with Tim, leaving Rachel as the only woman at the table. She used the opportunity to question the Admiral and bring some light to the rift between father and son. "You really don't know your son that well, do you?"

"My daughter said the same thing to me this morning."

"Smart girl." Rachel studied him as she fingered the file she and Abby had put together that morning. "What is it that your son does here at the agency, do you have any idea?"

The Admiral sat back, smoothing his jacket. "Despite what you and my daughter may think, I am perfectly aware of how talented Timothy is with a computer. It's a job he does well and it's also a job he could have been doing with the Navy to help his country instead of chasing down some AWOL sailors."

"So, he sits in front of a computer all day? Hmm, wonder if he has his own office?"

Listening to Rachel as she reeled him in, Gibbs had on his best poker face, while Vance struggled with it just a bit.

"I doubt it, not like he'd have if he'd joined the Navy. His brains and the family name, he'd be a well respected officer by now."

"And able to show up any time he'd needed for a ceremony."

Edward McGee leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "I realize that you're just a civilian and probably don't understand these sort of things, but yes, that was damned important."

This time Gibbs felt the corner of his mouth twitch, grateful that DiNozzo wasn't sitting with them, as the cocky agent would be humming the theme from _Jaws_ right about now.

-NCIS-

"How are you, Tim, really?" As soon as the elevator doors closed, Melissa hesitantly reached out. When Tim didn't pull away, she touched his belly. "Did it hurt?"

"The surgery? No, they kept me in a coma until I was fully healed, didn't want me to try and hurt myself to get rid of it. Other than the scar and the bulge, I never would have known."

Penny took her turn touching him. "That must have been very frightening, Sweetie, but are you absolutely sure this is what you want? I can't even imagine the risk involved. Your father was wrong to try to force you to stop, but are you sure Gibbs isn't influencing you to keep the baby?"

"I'm sure, Penny. I made the decision without even talking to any of them. My body, my choice – isn't that what you fought for?"

She laughed, shaking her head as she stared at his midsection. "Well, I never dreamed that it would be your body, Timothy."

Tim had to laugh, too, before turning to his little sister. "Awfully quiet Sarah."

"It's all just so unbelievable, but hey, since you're providing a grandchild, that means I don't have to."

"Sarah!" Melissa started to scold her, but then the irony of the entire situation hit her and she started to giggle, then laugh hysterically as she threw her arms around Tim. "Promise me, Tim. Promise me that you'll survive this."

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. "Gonna do my best, Mom. I've got a lot to live for."

-NCIS-

"Well, Admiral McGee, let's see if we can figure out exactly where Tim made his errors, shall we? As a doctor, it's always good to get a fresh perspective to help my patients." Rachel glanced over at Gibbs and he realized the predatory streak he'd seen in Kate was actually a family trait.

The senior officer seemed unsettled by the changing atmosphere, but he nodded as Dr. Cranston opened the file and laid out a copy of a flight itinerary from seven years earlier. "This is the flight your son was scheduled on, allowing him to arrive several days before your promotion ceremony, is that correct?"

"A family vacation, we hadn't had one in a long time."

Next came the crime scene photos showing two bodies in a car, shot dead, the hands of one of the victims chopped off. Tim's father blanched at the images. Rachel leaned forward, sliding the most graphic of the pictures closer to him. "Horrible thing, isn't it? Any idea why someone would cut off their hands?"

Having never been in battle, or a firefight, Edward McGee had a slightly green tint as he looked down. "No, I have no idea. This is the case that kept him here?"

"Almost killed him, too, Tim, and the rest of the team." Interjecting, Gibbs made his point as Rachel added the photos of the burned out car to the pile. "Car was booby-trapped, wired with explosives. Tim, Tony, Kate, they barely made it out with their lives."

"But why? Why cut off his hands? Why blow up the car?"

Rachel let Gibbs explain. "Mossad double agent turned out to be rogue, was actually running the terrorist cell he claimed to be after. Cut off the Lieutenant's hands to get past the biometric security, stole an early scale model of the UAV, packed it full of explosives."

"The terrorists were going to launch it? My God, what was the target?"

"The Entire Marine Amphibious Strike Group was pulling into dock at Norfolk on May twenty-fourth."

"But just one drone..."

"He wasn't after the ships, his target was the pier, the thousands of family waiting to welcome them home."

Rachel stepped in, laying out more pictures and giving the blow by blow account of that fateful afternoon, the hunt for the terrorists, the frantic attempts to jam the signal to the drone, the shoot-out, the bullet that almost hit McGee as he was trying to gain control of the drone and the last second save that drove the remote controlled craft into the ocean, where it safely exploded. It wasn't until she moved onto the aftermath, that Rachel's voice broke and Gibbs took over again.

"Ari's mission that day was two-fold. He still wanted to get to me by killing my team. He missed Tim, but not Caitlin." Gibbs reached across the table and picked up the last picture from the folder and handed it to the Admiral. It was a photo of Kate's body on the rooftop, the hole in her forehead very evident.

Admiral McGee stared at the picture a long time, the NCIS vest a stark reminder that it could have been his son laying there. "Your team was hunting him down?"

"Actually, he was hunting us, but we still got him. Killed in the basement of my house, three days after your promotion, Admiral. Damn long week for all of us. Your son was as green as they come back then, but he held up his end like the fine agent he's become. You'd have been proud of him."

-NCIS-

"Hey, can you stay awake long enough to eat?" Gibbs leaned close and watched the green eyes slowly open.

"I'm awake, just thinking. Can you believe it, my dad hugged me when they left. The last time he hugged me was when I was five and he accidentally left me behind at a gas station. Maybe he's going to accept me after all."

"Yeah? Hope so."

Tim let himself be pulled up. "Jack's coming tomorrow, right?"

"It'll be fine, I promise." Behind Tim as they walked to the kitchen table, the worry flashed over Gibbs' face. He knew that Jack would be accepting once he got used to the idea, Gibbs just hoped it wouldn't take too long to get there.


	23. Chapter 23

_Week seventeen_

"Good morning."

Tim felt the greeting against his skin as much as he heard it and smiled as he opened his eyes. As expected, the first thing he saw was the hovering saltine and he obediently took it before trying to move. He felt better this morning, more energetic, but wasn't sure if it was the next stage of the pregnancy or the lifting of the burden he'd experienced the day before. "Morning."

Once Tim was sitting up and ready to face the day, Gibbs climbed out of bed. "What time is your appointment today?"

"Three-thirty, but she warned me that she's got a couple of patients ready to pop any time."

"Ahh." Gibbs nodded as he gathered his clothes to take a quick shower. Dr. Hughes had transferred a number of her patients to other physicians, but she still had a dozen high risk patients that she juggled along with Tim.

"Okay, just to be safe, I'll take an agency sedan to the airport, so you have the car." He stopped at the door and turned around. "Don't let Ziva talk you into letting her drive if that happens."

-NCIS-

"Morning, Boss, morning Probie." Tony bounced up as soon as he saw them. "SecNav came through, got us the warrants on Anderson's financials without attracting any attention."

Gibbs looked over and McGee was already starting the searches. "Good, when Tim finds something, you and Ziva do the follow up, and make sure he doesn't forget to eat."

"Umm, sure, but where are you going to be, Boss?" Tony glanced over at Ziva, who also looked surprised.

Gibbs stopped at his desk just long enough to change keys. "Picking up Jack from the airport."

Tony waited until the elevator was on its way back down before turning to McGee. "That's going to take all day?"

Tim automatically rested his hand on his belly. "Got a lot to talk about and Gibbs wants to make sure he's really okay with it before they get back here."

Their partner looked decidedly nervous and both Tony and Ziva moved closer. Ziva reached out and squeezed his hand. "He will be shocked at first, but Jack will understand and be excited about the little one."

"Yeah, McGee, he's not like, well, you know." Tony faltered, knowing that Tim would assume he was talking about the Admiral, when it was actually Senior that was foremost in his mind.

"Hope you're right, Tony." Tim shrugged and returned his attention to the search. He didn't look back up until Tony returned to his desk. Something was up with his friend, both he and Ziva could see it.

-NCIS-

"Got something on Anderson." McGee's announcement brought his partners back to his desk. "It might be nothing, but he's been having lunch at a restaurant down in Richmond a couple of times a week, and it started three weeks after we were kidnapped."

"Richmond? That's a long way from Bethesda."

Knowing that there was little time to waste before their investigation was discovered, even with the SecNav's help, Tony and Ziva immediately headed out the door as soon as they had the address and list of dates and Tim called Gibbs to update him. The older man wasn't thrilled that Tim was there alone, but he agreed the break was too important to wait. Once that was done, he made another call, then sent a text.

Tony wouldn't tell Ziva what was wrong, and he refused to worry Tim with whatever was bothering him, so it was time to go to plan B.

-NCIS-

The restaurant had been only open a year and had security cameras hidden in the light fixtures. They hadn't believed their luck, and the owner had happily turned over copies of the tapes. He'd been a fan of police procedure shows on television and was thrilled to be part of it in reality. Instead of spending hours trying to grill the staff on anything they remembered, they had hard proof. Tony looked up as Ziva made an unexpected turn. "This isn't the fastest way back to the Yard."

"You have an appointment." She didn't elaborate further, watching out of the corner of her eye as they drew closer to their destination. He didn't know where they were going until she pulled into a parking space in front of Rachel Cranson's office building.

"Oh, come on, Ziva."

"No, Tony." Ziva shut off the engine and pocketed the keys. "Something about McGee is bothering you more than you are willing to admit."

"It's my problem, Ziva, I can handle it. I don't need to talk to Dr. Kate's Sister." Tony glanced around, looking for a cab.

She grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her. "You are not handling it. Even McGee can see how distracted and tense you are. If you will not talk to any of us..."

Tony rubbed at his face in frustration. He didn't want to talk to anyone, but he wanted even less to cause any additional stress on his best friend. "They're expecting us back at the Yard."

"Not for another hour." Ziva pulled a book out and started reading it, ignoring him as he stewed. It wasn't until he muttered under his breath and stormed out of the car that she allowed her worry to show as she tracked him into the building. She hoped that McGee was right and that Tony would allow Dr. Cranston to help him sort out whatever had him so conflicted.

If Tony thought he could pacify Ziva by spending an hour wandering around the large building, having Rachel waiting for him on the stairs quickly put an end to that plan.

"Come on upstairs, Tony, and we'll talk."

-NCIS-

Gibbs bit back a curse as the arrival time for his father's flight was rolled back yet once again. He'd already been waiting for almost two hours, and now it looked like it was going to be an additional two hours. At this rate, it would have been quicker to drive to Stillwater himself. Pulling out his badge, Gibbs marched over to the desk.

"What's the problem with Flight 2-17?"

The perky blonde immediately responded to the sight of the badge. "There was a mechanical issue with the plane earlier in the flight, so they had to bring in another one."

"From where, Chicago?"

"Denver, actually." She gave him a fake smile and turned away to answer the phone.

"Unbelievable." Gibbs moved away as his own phone started to ring. He looked at the caller ID and smiled as he flipped it open. "Hey."

_Has his flight arrived yet?_

"Nope, now they're saying another two hours. I should have driven up there the first time they posted a delay. How are you doing?"

_I'm fine, but I need to see Patty as soon as I can get there._

"Are you all right? Is there a problem?" McGee had looked fine when Gibbs left for the airport, but now he was worried.

_No, but one of her other patients is in active labor, so Patty wants to get my appointment done before things get hairy._

Gibbs quickly reviewed his options. "All right, let me get a message through to my dad and..."

_No, you're not going to make him ride the shuttle. I'll be fine._

"Yeah..." He sighed, knowing that Tim was right. He couldn't just abandon his father to the shuttle system at the last minute after insisting that he be the one to pick him up. "Okay, are Tony and Ziva back yet?"

_Nope, not for another hour or so._

"What about Ducky?"

_Quantico, giving a lecture. Jimmy went with him. So did Abby._

There went his next two options. "What about Vance? His driver could take you."

_Already left for the Hill. I'm not helpless, Jethro, I'll be fine._

"Not without a protection detail. Who's in the bullpen right now that we've worked with before?" There was a pause as Tim apparently looked around.

_Just Dorneget._

"Damn." Gibbs let his head drop. "Okay, get him over there, I want to talk to him." He heard McGee's muffled shout and the sound of the phone being taken, then dropped. Gibbs winced at the sound before yelling.

"Dorneget!"

_Umm, hi, Agent Gibbs._

"McGee's medical appointment has been moved up and the rest of the team's not back yet so you are his protection detail."

_Me, Sir?_

"No, Fred from Accounting. Of course, you. Aren't I talking to you, Dorneget?"

_Yes, Sir, you are, Sir._

Normally, Gibbs would object to the title, but if the green agent was going to be protecting McGee, he wanted him scared of facing Gibbs if he screwed up.

"I'm counting on you, Dorneget. Don't screw up." Gibbs took a breath, then let his voice soften. "Keep him safe for me, Ned. I'm depending on you."

-NCIS-

Tony paced back and forth, not noticing how much he was messing up his hair as he kept raking his fingers through it. Dr. Cranston watched for a few minutes before leaning forward.

"What is it about Tim's pregnancy that has you so upset, Tony? You're not the one pregnant, you're not the father, why is this having such a profound affect on you?"

"Don't be so sure about that." His muttered words were too low for her to hear fully, but just giving voice to his fears broke the dam. Manic energy spent, he collapsed into the chair. "I think I did something stupid, Doc."

She studied him closely. "What did you do, Tony?" Curiosity turned to horror as he explained the conversation in Abby's lab.

Finished with the story, Tony leaned back. "I really screwed up, didn't I?"

"Tony..." Rachel shook her head as she tried to comprehend the possibilities. "If you're right, how on Earth did you expect to get away with it? That child is going to have every medical test in the world done when he's born. Did you think no one would notice if the baby doesn't genetically match the father?"

"I didn't think..."

"Obviously not. What do you think this will to to Tim? My God, what will it do to Gibbs?" Rachel threw her pen down on the desk. "If you'd been honest and up-front in the beginning, Gibbs would have happily stepped in to help raise the baby, but when he was told the baby was his, that was the world to him."

"I know, I know." Tony rocked forward and buried his head in his hands. "I didn't want to be a father like that. I didn't think I wanted to be a dad at all, and I knew that Gibbs wanted it more than anything, Tim too. I just wanted them to be happy, and now..."

"And now?"

"They're so happy, so excited about the baby. I see that, and I have to wonder..."

"You wonder what, Tony?"

"Did I give up my one chance to be happy like that?"

-NCIS-

McGee bit back a chuckle as Probationary Agent Dorneget almost gave himself whiplash trying to look every direction at once as they walked out to the car. "Hey, you got your gun?"

"Yeah, what, where?" In his haste to pull the weapon, Ned almost knocked himself off his feet and McGee held his hands up.

"Easy, Ned, just making sure." Not wanting Dorneget behind the wheel of his new car, Tim headed for the driver's side. "Just keep your eyes peeled."

It was a quiet ride to Bethesda. Dorneget was too nervous, trying to run a check on every car they passed, and Tim didn't want small talk that might lead to questions he didn't want to answer. The true nature of his 'injuries' from the kidnapping were known to only a few in the agency and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Since his rescue, Tim had recovered enough of his strength and stamina that Dr. Hughes no longer required a wheelchair to meet him downstairs, so Tim went straight up to the private wing. Just before he entered the corridor, he turned to Dorneget.

"This is as far as you go. There's a waiting room right over there."

"But..." Before Ned could come up with an argument, he was alone in the hallway, wondering just what kind of specialist McGee would be seeing so close to the maternity ward.

-NCIS-

"Do you want to get married some day, Tony? Settle down, have a wife and family?"

"Sure, well, I think I do. I almost had it a couple of times. Story of my life, everything I almost had." He stared at his hands, voice dull. "It's all the what if's, you know? What if Wendy hadn't walked away the day before our wedding? What if Jeanne hadn't been an assignment? What if the only kid I'll ever have is inside McGee?"

Dr. Cranston chose her words carefully, forcing her anger to the background. "Okay, let's look at that. What if the baby is yours? What would you do? Would you insist on him moving in with you? Would you sleep next to him every night in case he needs you? Would you be willing to spend the next twenty years not dating, not having a relationship with a woman, just so that little boy could have two parents totally devoted to him and their family?"

She held her hand up as he opened his mouth. "Don't answer that right now, Tony. I want you to think long and hard about this."

Tony's mouth snapped closed and he nodded, but she wasn't done. "You had better be damn sure about everything, including the paternity, because if you dump this on them and it turns out that Gibbs really is the father..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."


	24. Chapter 24

"Hey, Dad, you finally made it." Gibbs took his carry on and gave him a one-armed hug.

Jack returned the hug, thumping his son on the back. "I offered to get out and push if they thought it would help." Knowing that whatever his son wanted to talk to him about, it was too sensitive to discuss over the phone, Jack didn't push, but he wasn't surprised either when the sedan pulled into the parking lot of a closed business.

Gibbs shut off the car and leaned against the steering wheel. "Something's happened, Dad, and I'm not totally sure how you're going to take it."

"Sounds serious, Leroy. I figure the best thing to do is to just tell me."

"Well, the upside is that you're going to be a grandfather again in a few months."

Of everything his son could possibly tell him, that hadn't even crossed his mind. Jack's eyes widened and then narrowed as he studied the rare emotions on Jethro's face. "Thought you were old enough to remember to put a glove on it."

Gibbs couldn't quite stop the bark of laughter as he shook his head. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"I'm listening."

"A while back, we were ambushed, everyone in the group taken captive except Ziva. They left her behind, unconscious, with the car." Gibbs stared out the front windshield, not wanting to see the expression on his father's face until he had the whole story. Taking another deep breath, he continued.

"They let Tony, Vance and myself go after about a day and a half, made sure that an informant got word back to the agency where to find us. They still had Tim, and they kept him until just recently."

"Why take any of you? Why keep Tim?"

"The medical expert for a CIA black op had his own experiment going on the side. By the time he had all the bugs worked out, he'd killed off all his volunteers and he needed another body for the next stage of his research."

"My God." Jack rubbed his hand over his mouth as he tried to comprehend the situation. "Human experimentation? What were they trying to prove and what does that have to do with you getting some woman pregnant?"

Finally, Gibbs turned to look his father straight in the eye. "It's not a woman that's carrying my child, Dad."

-NCIS-

"Hey, where's McGee?" Tony swung his backpack under his desk before sitting down. Balboa was walking through the bullpen, his nose in a file.

"Think he had a doctor's appointment."

"What? Already?" Tony checked his watch. "His appointment isn't for a couple of hours. When did Gibbs get back?"

"Haven't seen Gibbs, but Dorneget went with him. Sorry." Balboa shrugged as he continued on his way.

Too late to do anything about it now, Tony and Ziva sat down with the surveillance tapes, hoping to identify the mystery man Dr. Anderson had been meeting with.

-NCIS-

"Everything's looking good today, Tim. How's the tenderness?" Her practiced hands moved up from his belly to his chest and pressed gently against his nipples.

"Better, just a constant ache instead of a few days that are really uncomfortable. The hormone implant really makes a difference."

"That's good, so where's Jethro today?"

"His dad's flying in." Tim accepted the help to sit up on the exam table. "He, umm, he's telling him right now about what's happened."

"You worried?"

"A little bit." It felt good to admit his worry. "I mean, Jack's pretty cool, but he's a real traditional straight shooter, you know? I'm not sure how this would play out in rural Pennsylvania."

Dr. Hughes did understand. She'd spent a great deal of time casually feeling out many of the staff to see who would be open minded enough to be added to the medical team. It had been surprisingly hard and she'd quickly found that it was only by determining their stance on gay marriage and gay adoption that she was able to get some honest answers. "Even if it takes some time, just remember that he did raise a very open minded son."

-NCIS-

"Not a woman? How is that even possible, and what does that have to do with your young agent being held for so long?"

Instead of answering right away, Gibbs just raised an eyebrow and waited for his father to make the connection. Eventually he did – sort of.

"They turned him into a woman? Leroy, I've seen that on talk shows, but they can't have kids."

"No, Dad. He's still a man, but they implanted a device in him that allows a man to carry a baby."

"And you got him pregnant. So, you're gay, that's the big announcement?"

This was beginning to remind Gibbs of the arguments before he left home. "I did not _get_ him pregnant."

"But you just said that he's carrying your kid."

For a fleeting moment Gibbs wondered if he was too old to go stomping off. "Yes, he is. They extracted a sample of my sperm and used it to fertilize an egg and then implanted it into an artificial womb, then surgically implanted that into McGee."

"Well, why didn't you say so?"

Exasperated, Gibbs threw his hands up in the air. "I just did."

"One hell of a story. Are you sure about it?"

"What?"

"I mean, it almost sounds like something some headshrinker would come up with just to see how a guy would react."

Instead of arguing, Gibbs pulled out the picture and shoved it at his father. Jack stared at the picture before turning back to his son, open-mouthed and Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, and I sat next to him when they did this ultrasound last week, it wasn't faked. I've seen the scars, I've heard the heartbeat, and I've helped him back to bed when the morning sickness was bad. That baby is real and he's mine. Tim McGee is carrying my son."

-NCIS-

"Hey, you ready?"

Dorneget looked up as McGee came out of the secure hallway, turning to make sure the door closed behind him. He couldn't help but frown as he saw McGee in profile. For all his time as a prisoner, the other man certainly hadn't lost any weight.

"Yeah, sure, let's go."

-NCIS-

"That's him, that's our guy." Tony leaned forward and reached for his keyboard to capture the image. The same older man was at each of the meetings, but he'd managed to keep his face away from the camera. The latest lunch Anderson and their mystery man had been joined by a third man who'd been oblivious to the security cameras. "Ziva, you get the image down to Abby. Let's see if we can put a name to that face." With any luck he'd lead them to the man still pulling the strings.

-NCIS-

They were just a few blocks from Bethesda when Dorneget straightened up. "Umm, McGee?"

"Yeah, I see him." Just to make sure the car they'd both noticed was actually following them, he made a sudden right hand turn. A few seconds later there was a squeal of brakes and then a crash as the older sedan behind them took the corner wide and clipped a parked car. Knowing they were in serious trouble, McGee stomped down on the accelerator and prayed.

* * *

><p><strong>an - Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had a blast writing it. A few people were confused with the last chapter. Remember, Tony has gone out of his way to not talk to Abby since he told her Gibbs should be the father. He's reacting, not thinking right now. Otherwise, he'd realize that he'd asked Abby to lie TO Gibbs. The question has always been, would she?**


	25. Chapter 25

"You say that Tim is living with you now?" Jack followed Gibbs into the house and looked around at the changes.

Gibbs set Jack's bag down next to the sofa and turned to gather the pillow and bedding his father would need during his stay. "Yep, we're going to raise our kid together."

Jack continued to look around. "You're not sleeping out here anymore?" In answer, his son just pointed to the guest room and Jack nodded. He'd been surprised his first visit to discover that the master bedroom upstairs had all but been abandoned. Moving the pregnant man into the room was certainly a positive step. "Tim handling the stairs all right?"

"He's not upstairs, Dad."

"You're not making him sleep on the sofa? Good God, he's pregnant, Leroy." There were times Jack could not believe the obtuseness of the boy he'd raised.

Gibbs stared at his father. Sometimes he couldn't understand how oblivious his father was. "No, of course I'm not making him sleep on the sofa. What do you take me for?"

There were only so many places in the house to sleep, and he couldn't imagine the tall, lanky and now pregnant man on the small bed in Kelly's old room. "He's in the guest room? With you? Thought you said you weren't gay?"

"I'm not! It's just that he sleeps better with me there."

Jack continued on as if he hadn't heard. "Because there's nothing wrong with being gay. You remember Charlie Gibbon's youngest boy, Martin? Graduated high school the same year you did? Came out of the closet just last year."

"Dad, Marty's been wearing women's underwear since he was twelve. I'm not sure he was ever in the closet."

"Really? And how do you know that?"

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tell me again why I asked you to come out here for a visit?"

Laughing, Jack patted his son's cheeks like he did when he was little. "Because I'm gonna be a Grandaddy again, Leroy."

He couldn't help but laugh along with his father. "Yeah, Dad, you are."

-NCIS-

"Call for back-up." McGee gunned the engine, grateful when the Magnum's powerful motor roared in response and they began to gain ground. He laid on the horn and ran a red light, hoping the cross-traffic would stop their pursuer. Instead, the other car blew through the intersection, causing a multiple car accident in its wake.

It was all Dorneget could do, not to scream in terror as his call to dispatch went through. "We're under attack, they're chasing us." A bullet pinged off the trunk lid and both men ducked. "They're shooting at us now, we need help."

McGee could hear the dispatcher asking for their location and shouted out their current location and the cross streets as they passed before yelling for her to call Gibbs just as another bullet hit the car and Dorneget dropped his phone.

-NCIS-

Jack wandered into the kitchen, looking for more changes. The refrigerator was well stocked, which would qualify as a change, especially the variety of vegetables and fruits, but it was the carton on the second shelf that caught his eye. "Guess the yogurt must be Tim's."

"Actually, it's pretty good." Gibbs turned around to find his father staring at him. "What?"

"He's got you eating yogurt?"

"Yeah, so?"

Grinning, Jack shook his head. "Nothing, son, absolutely nothing."

-NCIS-

Tony was on his feet within seconds of answering his phone and already pulling out his gun. Ziva didn't wait for an explanation before grabbing her own weapon. They were already on the elevator when he handed her the keys. "McGee's in trouble, you're driving."

-NCIS-

Gibbs put the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway. "Tim's doctor's appointment should be done by now. What do you say we go pick him up? He's probably ready to eat something."

"Good, I'm ready to spend some quality time with my new son-in-law."

"Dad..."

"What? You admitted it yourself, you're sleeping together, or do you sit up all night while he sleeps?"

"I'm sleeping, in fact, better than I have in years."

"Yeah..."

Gibbs rolled his eyes at his father's questioning tone. "Sleeping in the same bed is not the same thing as sleeping together."

"Well, why aren't you? It's a little late to worry about getting him pregnant. Don't you find him attractive? I thought he was a pretty good looking guy, myself."

Gibbs shook his head. "Dad, yes, he's good looking, but..."

"Now don't give me that 'I am straight' bull. Nobody's totally straight."

"Dad?" He shook his head again as they stopped for a signal. "Never mind, I don't think I want to know." His phone rang before Jack could push him again. "Yeah, Gibbs... What? Where?" As soon as he had the answer, Gibbs threw his phone down and burned rubber.

-NCIS-

Realizing that FLETC never covered this, Dorneget drew his weapon and tried to get a bead on the other car. He was unable to lean far enough to take the shot with his right hand, forcing him to switch the gun to his left hand. Twisting around, he leaned out the window and fired three rounds.

The other driver returned fire immediately, shattering the driver's side window. Flinching, Tim felt a few glass fragments hit the side of his face. Keeping his head down as low as he could, McGee yanked the steering wheel hard to the right, turning onto a lesser used road to give them more maneuvering room. Dorneget lost his grip as they went over a speed bump and his SIG went flying. "I lost my gun."

"Crap." Tim was too busy driving to pull his own weapon. The roads were icing up and the car fishtailed as they flew around another corner. "Hang on."

-NCIS-

Otis Brooks leaned forward to put his coffee in the cup holder as he fired up his big rig. One more load up to Philly and then he could retire. Thirty-seven years on the road, four kids through college and the most patient woman in the world waiting for him back home. By this time tomorrow, they'd be on their way to New Mexico to start their retirement. Just in time, too, as the first sleet of the year was starting to come down.

He glanced into his mirror before looking down at his gearshift. The linkage was sticking again, but after tomorrow, it was somebody else's problem. The sound grated on his ears, but with a shudder, it finally slipped into low reverse and he started backing out as he returned his attention to his mirrors. Two cars suddenly appeared, but there wasn't time to correct the path of the big Peterbilt. Wouldn't you know it, a perfect driving record was going to be destroyed on his very last day on the road.

* * *

><p><strong>an -yes, I am evil. Hadn't you noticed that already? Well, see you all on Monday.**


	26. Chapter 26

"Leroy, what is it?" Jack hung on for dear life as they raced down the road.

"Tim's protection detail called in; they're under attack."

"Attack?" Jack had a lot more questions but after watching his son drive, decided to keep quiet.

The sirens could be heard in the distance when they came upon the accident scene. The sedan slid on the quickly forming ice and ended up against a sidewalk, but Gibbs didn't seem to notice as he shut off the engine and threw open the door. "Stay here."

Jack had no intention of sitting there and waiting, but he waited until a second sedan pulled up a few seconds later. Tony jumped out and ran to meet up with Gibbs, but Ziva paused long enough to make sure Jack was steady on his feet as he climbed out of the car.

Tony was silent as he joined Gibbs and they approached the damaged vehicles. An older black sedan was wedged under the trailer of the semi, the driver obviously dead. The truck driver was ashen faced, leaning against the cab of his truck. Gibbs ran up to him, badge out.

"Was there a second car?"

The trucker pointed as he nodded. "First one made it through. I'm sorry, I couldn't stop in time."

Gibbs dropped to one knee to look under the truck. On the other side, and relatively intact, was the Magnum. The driver's door was open and Dorneget was squatting down in front of the open door, blocking his view of Tim. Standing, he yelled over his shoulder as he ran around the trailer. "DiNozzo, get Ducky out here and call an ambulance."

-NCIS-

McGee's gun in hand, Dorneget stumbled out of the car, looking around for their attacker. Cautiously he went back to the truck, then eased around the back end of the trailer. Up in the cab, he could hear the driver calling for help. The car that had been chasing them was crumpled and partially wedged under the trailer right next to the rear axle. He approached, gun raised, until he could see inside the car. There was no doubt that the driver was dead, decapitated in the accident.

Gasping and struggling not to lose his lunch, Ned staggered away and retrieved his fallen weapon. There was a large crack in the grip and the front sight was badly damaged, so he tucked it into his holster and kept McGee's SIG in his hand as he moved back to the Magnum. It had been a wild ride and he was still amazed that McGee had managed to maintain control as they slipped past the truck. They'd spun briefly on the icy road, but he'd quickly had it back under control until the rear tire had finally blown. They'd been bounced around, but that had been the worst of it.

When he got back to the car, McGee was still sitting in the driver's seat, gripping the wheel and looking rather green. "Man, McGee, that was some wild driving. Where'd you learn that, because that was more than the defensive driving course at FLETC."

Despite the situation, McGee had to chuckle. "Guess you've never ridden with Ziva." He turned serious as he looked around. "The other car?"

"Toast, and the driver's dead – very, very dead. Are you all right?" Ned opened the door and squatted down to take a good look at McGee.

Tim could only imagine what kind of strain the bouncing and slamming around had placed on his body. "I'm not sure. Where's Gibbs, I need Gibbs."

Dorneget heard voices and looked over his shoulder. Gibbs had arrived and was headed for them at a dead run, DiNozzo behind him. Just as Gibbs arrived at the car, Ned could see Agent David and an older man with a cane moving to join them. Realizing that he would be in the way, Ned stepped back just as Gibbs reached them.

"Tim, my God, Tim, are you all right?" Gibbs skidded to a stop and bent down, resting his knee on the threshold of the doorway before wrapping his arms around Tim.

"I'm not hurt, but I'm not sure I'm all right." Tim melted against Gibbs, trembling as the shock of what happened set in.

Gibbs fought back his own mounting fear as he brushed his hand across Tim's face. "It's going to be okay, I'm not losing either one of you." Behind him, DiNozzo was trying to figure out how to do damage control as he saw the confusion on Dorneget's face. The arrival of the ambulance interrupted any spin he might have been able to put on the subject. As awkward as it would be to explain to the green agent, a couple of civilian ambulance jockeys were an entirely different matter.

Tony rounded the trailer to where the ambulance was stopped and pulled out his badge. "Guys, we've got a patient to transport with no questions asked and no exam."

"What?" The older of the two medics shook his head. "That's not the way we work."

"Today it is." When they looked like they were going to argue more, Tony just held his hand up. "Believe me, you do not want to get in the middle of this. Just give me the stretcher and wait in the ambulance."

Ziva turned around to back up DiNozzo, leaving Jack to approach the car by himself. Worried, he went to the passenger side and leaned in through the open door. "Leroy, is he alright? Is the baby okay?"

"Baby? What baby?" Dorneget froze, remembering the location of McGee's appointment as he tried to put the pieces together. "No, that's not possible."

"Not now, Ned." Tony tugged him back out of the way before moving closer to help Gibbs lift Tim out of the car. Ziva maneuvered the stretcher between them and they laid Tim down on it. Laying flat, with the idea already planted in Dorneget's mind, it was easy to identify the pregnancy bump.

Gibbs pulled off his jacket and bunched it up on Tim's chest before they spread the thin blanket over him, helping to disguise his shape.

The ambulance attendants were not happy, but they stayed back as Gibbs and Tony slid the stretcher into the back of the ambulance and Gibbs climbed in, followed by Jack, with Ziva's help. Once Jack was seated, she handed him her back-up weapon. Both EMT's were wide-eyed as they climbed into the cab without a word. Tony leaned in through the window. "You don't stop. If somebody tries to stop you, assume they're there to kill your patient and leave no witnesses, got it?"

"Got it, but are we getting an escort?"

The remaining agents would have preferred to go with them, but they had a scene to preserve and process if they wanted to know who was after McGee. Tony shook his head. "No time, just go."

-NCIS-

"Are you all right? Can you tell me what happened?" Ziva stood close to the truck driver and touched his arm to get his attention away from the mangled car.

Otis rubbed a trembling hand over his balding head. "It happened so fast. With the repairs going on in loading area, you can't go clear through, have to back out. These two cars just appeared, and they were going so fast. The first one swerved. He slid and fishtailed, but he didn't lose control and he got around me before I could even stop."

"And the second car?"

"He lost it and spun... and then hit me. I couldn't believe it – after all these years of never having an accident, my last day on the job and I kill somebody. I don't know what to tell my wife."

Ziva felt sorry for him. "No, you didn't kill someone, you stopped an assassination."

"What?"

"He was trying to kill two of our agents and I am very glad you helped to stop him. That is what you tell your wife."

-NCIS-

"Easy, Tim, easy, slow your breathing down, that's it. Breathe with me." Gibbs leaned close, his fingers wrapped around McGee's wrist to monitor his pulse. When Tim nodded and matched his breaths to his, Gibbs leaned down further and rested his forehead against Tim's. "You're going to be okay, you both are, you hear me? We'll be at the hospital in a few minutes and everything's going to be fine."

A few feet away, Jack watched the exchange with a soft smile before returning his attention to the windows and the driver, not relaxing until they were backing into the ambulance bay at Bethesda.

-NCIS-

"Dorneget? Hey, Dorneget?"

A head slap finally captured the shocked man's attention and he turned to DiNozzo. "How can that be possible? It isn't possible. McGee's a man, and..."

"Shut up, Ned." Despite the harsh words, DiNozzo had an understanding smile on his face. "We're not exactly in a secure facility to talk about this right now."

"Right, yeah." Trying to pull himself together as he looked around. "So, what do we do now?"

"Now, you get to learn about working a crime scene." Tony snapped on a pair of gloves and handed a second pair to Dorneget. "Let's see if we can figure out who was trying to get McGee and how they knew his doctor's appointment had been changed."

Tony watched as Dorneget struggled to pull the gloves on, obviously still distracted. "Now that you know what they did to him when he was kidnapped, are you going to be able to handle it?"

"Yeah." Ned didn't understand the details of how it had been accomplished, but he was in awe of the possibilities. "I think it's pretty cool."

-NCIS-

Dr. Hughes was waiting for the ambulance and climbed in even before the EMT's opened their doors. She quickly checked Tim's pulse and then wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm. The reading was high and Gibbs looked worried. She patted his arm and reminded them both of a basic medical fact. "Just remember, Jethro, if there was already massive internal bleeding, his pressure would be dropping. Tim, we're going to do a full set of scans. If the artery is damaged, then we'll try to repair it, all right?"

Tim gave a short nod and hung onto Gibbs' hand as the stretcher was lifted out of the ambulance. As they passed him, Jack patted his shoulder. "You're both going to be fine, son, Leroy won't accept anything less."

Security was heavy, thanks to a call from Vance to the SecNav, but the armed MP's kept to the background and did not intrude into the injured man's care. Inside the first exam room of the emergency department, Tim was quickly transferred to a hospital gurney and the ambulance attendants sent on their way. As soon as the non-essential personnel were cleared, Patty tugged up Tim's shirt and pressed the Fetal Doppler against his skin. Both fathers to be visibly relaxed when the sound of the baby's heartbeat came through strong and loud.

"The baby is not in distress, and that's a very good sign. We'll do the scans to make sure there's no slow internal bleeding, but I'm pretty confident we're going to get the two of you through this just fine." She gave them a confident smile and her staff began to wheel Tim out for the necessary tests. Gibbs was still holding on to Tim, not letting go until Patty stopped him and shook her head.

Jack followed them and caught up with his son at the closed door at Radiology. "Come on, Leroy, let's go sit down. It looks like he's in good hands."

"Yeah, he is." Gibbs obediently followed his father to a nearby waiting area and sat down, only to almost immediately bounce back up and start pacing. "Damn it, why can't they just leave him alone?"

"Do you know who's after him?"

Ignoring his father's question, Gibbs pulled out his phone and dialed, not letting the person at the other end have a chance to say anything. "They tried to kill Tim, I thought you were on top it at your end."

-NCIS-

Dorneget walked Tony and Ziva through everything that had happened from when they'd first spotted their tail to when the cars had come to a stop. He'd expected a great deal of ribbing about dropping both his phone and his gun, but by then the rest of the emergency workers had the car pulled back from under the trailer.

Wincing at the sight, Tony snapped several pictures of the torso still strapped into the seat, before looking around for the head. Spotting it in the back seat, he photographed it as well before lifting it by the hair. Dorneget gagged and had to turn away, but Ziva leaned closer, taking her own photos of the face. "I believe we have found the third man from Anderson's meetings at the restaurant."

"Crap." Still holding the head, Tony pulled out his phone and dialed with his other hand. Once the conversation was over, he shoved the phone back into his pocket. "Anderson walked away during the middle of his shift this morning and no one's seen him since."

"Very convenient."

"Yeah." Tony agreed with Ziva before lifting the head as the Autopsy Van pulled in, followed by Balboa in the MCRT truck. "Hey, Palmer, bring me a bag, will ya?"

Ducky was right behind Palmer as the younger man jogged over with the requested item. "Really, Anthony, must you wave the poor man around like a pinata? A little decorum, please." He noticed Dorneget behind Tony, trying very hard not to look at any part of the remains. "Mr. Dorneget, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Dr. Mallard. I'm... I'm going to go look for shell casings." Pleased that he'd thought of an acceptable reason to leave the body, Ned scrambled off to collect less gross evidence.


	27. Chapter 27

"Hey, Boss, how's he doing?"

Gibbs looked up and tjerked his head before climbing to his feet. Tony nodded in understanding and slipped back out the door. Gibbs looked down at the sleeping man in the bed before patting his dad on the shoulder and following DiNozzo out.

In the secure hallway, Ziva and Dorneget were waiting for them, obviously expecting the same report DiNozzo had asked for. Overall, the news from Dr. Hughes had been good. "There's some deep bruising, but the bleeding was minor and has already stopped. They're going to keep him for a few days to be safe, but he and the baby are doing good."

As Gibbs mentioned the baby, he watched Dorneget closely. It was obvious he had questions, but he didn't seem uncomfortable with the new knowledge. Satisfied for now, he turned back to DiNozzo. "Tell me what you've got so far."

"Not much." Tony shrugged as he admitted they'd hit a roadblock. "We've ID'd the driver as one of the guys that Anderson met with, but that's it. His prints aren't in the system anywhere. Abby's still trying to get a hit on facial recognition, but that's it. The car was stolen, so that's a dead end, too."

"Probably CIA and they've already scrubbed his record. Alright, what about Anderson?"

"Gone with the wind, Boss. Walked out in the middle of his shift. He's not home, his phone is off and no activity on his credit cards. We've got a BOLO out on his car, but other than that, we've got nothing."

"I thought Kort was going to be watching for developments at the CIA, Gibbs?"

Gibbs thought back to the brief phone call he'd had with the man. "Yeah, I thought so, too, Ziva.

"Unfortunately, I'm now apparently one of the loose ends they're trying to clear up."

They all turned to see a very ashen faced Kort, being supported by Ducky as he moved closer.

"What the hell happened to you?" Tony instinctively reached out and grabbed his other arm when Kort stumbled.

"Let's just say that I won't be eating in our cafeteria anytime soon. How's McGee?"

"Lucky and resting. Should you be up and around?"

Ducky answered Gibbs before Kort could say anything. "Our friend here checked himself out of the hospital AMA when he heard about the attack on Timothy. While I agree that his safety was in question where he was, I do believe we'll tuck him into one of the rooms here in the secure unit with McGee.

"Absolutely." Dr. Hughes appeared out of one of the side rooms. "Don't worry, my girls are getting used to having patients with boy parts."

Kort's eyes widened as the two doctors escorted him into a room and Tony shook his head. "I almost feel sorry for him."

-NCIS-

Once he was alone with Tim, Jack moved to the chair near the head of the bed to better look at the other parent of his grandchild-to-be. At first glance, the minor scratches and small cuts that marred his face were the only thing visible that suggested anything out of the ordinary. That was, until you looked past the blanket bunched up on him and noticed the shape of his expanding abdomen.

As he watched him sleep, Jack thought back to the first time he'd met McGee. As one of the agents that accompanied Leroy back to Stillwater, he'd been the only one to really stand up to him when Leroy backed down and ran the case the way Jack had wanted. He'd been impressed with the nervous young man, stumbling over his words, but challenging his boss when he had doubts. They'd make a fine pair once they started thinking past only what the child needed and looked at what they needed, themselves. Tim stirred and Jack moved closer.

"Hey, kiddo, how ya' doing?"

"Jack? Where's..." Green eyes looked frantically around and Jack laid his hand on Tim's forehead.

"Easy, he's just outside the door. The team came by for an update. How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

Tim winced as he shifted around. "I'm feeling pretty good, just stiff and sore."

"I'm not surprised, it sounds like that was a pretty wild ride." Jack paused and wrapped his hand around Tim's, not knowing exactly how to say what he was thinking. "Tim, I want to thank you. These last few hours I've gotten a pretty good idea of what kind of risk you're taking to give this baby a chance at life. I know Leroy has been telling you that he'd support you in whatever decision you made, and he would, I know that. Just like I know that losing another child would hurt him something awful."

Tim squeezed his hand in understanding. "Those weeks after they told me, it took a while before I accepted that it was real. But when I could wrap my mind around the fact that I was carrying a baby, in my mind it was always his and I knew he could get us through this."

"And he will." Jack watched as Tim slipped back into a restful sleep. "He's going to get you through this and the three of you are going to have a wonderful life together, I just know it."

-NCIS-

Gibbs sent his three agents back to the Yard and got a fresh cup of coffee before poking his head in to check on Kort. The other man didn't stir, but his color looked better. Ducky finished checking his IV before stepping over to Gibbs. "Dr. Hughes has him sedated while the rest of the poison works its way through his system. It was meant to incapacitate, not kill, but it will be a while before he's back on his feet."

"But he'll recover?"

"Oh, yes. Probably a few weeks before he will feel one hundred percent, but he'll make a full recovery."

"That's good. Make sure he gets everything he needs, will ya' Ducky? I really owe him now."

"Of course, Jethro."

Gibbs gave one last look to the sleeping man before continuing down to Tim's room only to pause outside the door, as to not interrupt the conversation he could overhear.

-NCIS-

"Miss Sciuto, slow down." Vance was almost dizzy trying to keep up with the information Abby was giving him and he could tell that Fornell wasn't much better.

She'd already broken her long standing Caf-Pow! record, not that she would admit it to either of them. "I'm sorry, but I had all this evidence to go through and I haven't been able to go see Timmy and..."

Desperate, Vance held his hand up. "I know, Abby, I know. How about you just tell us the highlights and then you can write up the full report after you've had your visit."

"Oh, thank you, thank you." She bounced around for a few seconds and then got right down to business. "Okay, of the bullets that hit McGee's car, there were two that weren't recovered. One that broke the window and one that damaged his tire. Apparently those steel belted tires were pretty good because it didn't blow right away. From the level of dirt and wear, I'd say the car made it a couple of hundred yards before the tire blew. All the bullets that were recovered from the scene or that I pulled out of the car all came from the same gun, the one that was still in the suspect's car."

"What do we know about the suspect so far?"

"This is where it gets really hinky. The ID in his wallet? It says Jerome Miller, but he doesn't exist, and it's the best fake ID I've ever seen. I mean, wicked good. Even the holographic image is right."

Fornell looked over at Vance. "Agency created identity."

Vance nodded his agreement, but Abby shook her head. "They didn't create a background. They always create a background, but not this time. Just a driver's license in his wallet, no credit cards, no real address, no fake family pictures. His fingerprints aren't in any system and facial recognition's been running all day and nothing. Like I said, hinky."

"One or two rogue people in the agency might not have the access to fully background an alias." Vance was thinking out loud as he reviewed the options. "That fits in with the CIA's official stance that they weren't involved with the original abductions, that Davidson had gone rogue."

Fornell wasn't totally convinced, but it was a good working theory. "Maybe somebody that helped Davidson or just looked the other way and is trying to cover their tracks?"

"Possibly. We need to see if Kort recognizes our headless horseman from the agency and we need to get in to see Davidson, find out who was helping him and who was objecting to his work. Good work, Miss Sciuto. Take a copy of Jerome Miller's picture to Gibbs for Kort when he's up to it and then you can visit with McGee."

"Thank you, Director Vance."

For a second he was afraid she was going to hug him, but instead she buzzed around the room, dealing with the equipment before grabbing the picture and running out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>an - It's been a long week and it's only Wednesday. That's what happens when the granddaughter bounces out of bed at 5am all week. Today is my last day of baby duty for the week and I am sleeping in tomorrow. Have fun, there should be a big chapter on Friday.**


	28. Chapter 28

After the room fell silent, Gibbs slipped through the door. His father nodded his acknowledgment as he stood to give back the chair closest to the bed. "Poor kid, I hate to see him so stiff and sore. I wonder if they've got a massage therapist that's got enough clearance to come help him?"

Gibbs grunted as he sat down. "We don't need any more strangers in here right now." Behind him, his father smiled at the possessiveness in his tone. Tim was laying on his side, facing Gibbs. He stirred, and Gibbs ran his hand down Tim's back, frowning at the tight muscles he could feel.

Knowing that an audience wasn't particularly wanted, even if it was family, Jack stood, whispering his intentions to get a bite to eat. Gibbs nodded, but his focus was on McGee.

Carefully, he started kneading at the knots, laying down on the bed with Tim when he became restless. Face to face, he eased his bottom arm under Tim so he could continue the massage with both arms. This brought Tim closer and he could feel each breath against the hollow of his throat.

Gibbs felt himself relaxing along with Tim as the younger man settled closer and closer, finally stilling tucked tightly against Gibbs. As natural slumber took over from medicated sleep, his breathing deepened and slowed as Gibbs matched him breath for breath and he, too, drifted off. Jack quietly crept back in and draped a second blanket over the both of them.

-NCIS-

Opting to use some satellite time as to better gauge the man's reaction, Vance cleared all unnecessary technicians from MTAC and put in the call to Admiral McGee. Not knowing who would be operating the system at the other end, Vance kept his words vague. "There's been another attack, but he's safe and apparently uninjured."

On the screen, Edward McGee closed his eyes for a moment before answering. "Are you sure he's – totally – all right?

The question that wasn't being asked was obvious, but the change in attitude was a surprise and Vance rushed to reassure him. "He's being monitored at the hospital as a precaution, but everything looks good so far."

"And his attacker?"

"Dead."

"Good." The Admiral turned and with one look cleared the room, leaving him able to speak freely. Once that was done, he returned his attention to Vance. "Was Anderson involved?"

"We can prove that the man that tried to kill Tim met with Anderson on more than one occasion."

"CIA?"

"More than likely. Proving it may be impossible, though."

"Thought you had someone on the inside there?"

Vance hated to admit they'd underestimated how far someone had been willing to go. "We did, but he was poisoned this morning. Luckily, he survived, and we're hoping that he can put a name to the face of Tim's attacker, since Anderson went off the grid about a half hour before they tried to kill Tim."

"I've promised my wife that we'd be there when it's time for the baby to arrive. I can take emergency leave now, but if Tim is really all right, I'd rather wait. I've rescheduled a great number of training sessions to clear the time for the planned leave."

The Director was glad to hear the willingness to be involved without being overbearing. "That might be for the best. Jethro's father arrived this morning. As long as Tim is okay, it might be best to stagger the visits."

"And avoid the dueling in-laws?"

Busted, Vance rubbed the side of his face. "Well, there could be some merit to that theory."

The Admiral laughed, much to Vance's surprise. "The month before Tim was born, my mother and my mother-in-law arrived on the same day."

"Bad?"

"It's a miracle the base is still standing. I'll make you a deal, Director Vance. You keep us informed and tell us the moment that Tim takes a turn for the worse or needs his mom and I'll keep the women folk from invading for as long as I can. Just have him call us once in a while. His mother – and I – are worried about him."

"That would be a help, Admiral McGee. Until every threat has been neutralized, I'd prefer to not have too many civilians underfoot right now."

"Understood." Edward reached for the control panel, then stopped. "Would you give a message to Dr. Cranston for me?"

"Of course."

"Tell her thank you for forcing me to see the man that my son has become."

Vance had been impressed with the details she'd laid out, details that even he hadn't known about. "Tim is a good man, you should be proud of him."

"I've always been proud, just never very good at showing it. Always thought I'd have more time." This time he did reach out and kill the signal. Vance stared at the test pattern for a moment before walking back to his office. Once inside, he checked something on his computer as he dialed his phone.

"Hey, sweetheart, have you started dinner yet? Good, you and Lily can have a girl's night tonight. I'm going to take Jared to see that movie he's been hinting at. Yeah, honey, the agency will survive for the night."

-NCIS-

Abby had to wait to be buzzed in, but she was happy to see the level of security that kept her friend safe. "Hey, how's he doing?" She hugged the doctor as soon as she was through the door.

"He's doing good. He's sleeping, which is the best thing for him right now." The warning was given with a smile and Abby's head bounced up and down at Dr. Hughes before tiptoeing down the hall. Arriving at the room, she eased the door open and it was Jack that greeted he with his finger over his lips in the universal sign for quiet.

She nodded as she came further in, smiling broadly at the sight of the two men asleep on the bed. It was a testament to how content Gibbs was that he didn't wake at her arrival. She'd seen Tim asleep before, the man crashed hard at times, but she'd never seen Gibbs this relaxed and content. He'd always wake when someone came close. Watching, she settled in the chair next to Jack and squeezed his hand.

-NCIS-

The autopsy of their mystery man was pretty straightforward, the cause of death very obvious. "What are you looking for, Dr. Mallard?"

"Ah, Mr. Palmer, they might have tried to eliminate every way of identifying this man, but they can't change everything." Ducky carefully examined three fillings in the teeth of the head, taking a tool to remove samples. "For example, I suspect that this man spent an extended amount of time in Eastern Europe, perhaps was even born there."

"You can tell by his teeth?" Jimmy was peering over Ducky's shoulder.

Finished, Ducky dropped the last sample into a jar before removing his face shield. "Oh, yes, the amalgamate they use is quite different. With any luck, Abigail will be able to put together a time table based on the work he'd had done."

Jimmy checked the clock on the wall. "She should be back from the hospital soon."

-NCIS-

Jack watched Abby watch Gibbs, McGee and the clock. It was apparent that she was on a timetable as the more she looked at the time on her phone, the more anxious she became. Finally, he leaned close to whisper in her ear. "Do you want me to wake him up?"

Biting her lip, she thought about it, but they looked so peaceful and content. With a shake her head, she pecked him on the cheek as she stood. She'd leave the photo and Gibbs could take care of it later. Laying the folder on the bed table, she pointed to it and then Gibbs. Jack nodded his understanding before she crept back out the door.

In the hallway she stopped, hearing voices. Trent Kort was weakly arguing with Dr. Hughes and she paused in the doorway to listen.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kort, we don't have any pajamas. This is obstetrics, so the laundry service never delivers anything but gowns."

"Fine, but does it have to be pink, and what are these flaps for?"

A feminine laugh floated through the air. "I'll have one of the nurses see if they can find you a different color, but I'm sorry, they'll all have the nursing flaps on them."

"Wonderful."

The disgruntled voice sounded so much like a petulant child, that Abby had a hand over her mouth to stop the giggle. The man had been hurt trying to protect her best friend, she figured she could make a stop at a store for him. Decision made, she bounced out of the unit.

* * *

><p><strong>an - TGIF, it's been a loooong week for me. Did enjoy a two day visit with Army son. A little more than a month before the wedding, so things are going to be insanely busy. Her parents are flying out for it, so the simple appointment with a judge now has a reception to follow. Might be a few times where I don't get to post on schedule, but I'll do my best.**


	29. Chapter 29

Drifting towards wakefulness, Jethro became aware of the head tucked under his chin and the swell of a belly gently pressing against him. He smiled at the sensory memories as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Have a good sleep?"

At the softly whispered words, Gibbs looked over his shoulder to see the amused face of his father. "Yeah, I did."

It had been the barest of whispers in return, but Jack understood. "He sleeps a lot better with you next to him. That's some pretty powerful trust between you."

"Thanks." He couldn't explain exactly why, but having that level of trust from Tim pleased him on an emotional level. Out in the hallway, he could hear the squeak of a cart being pushed. He tracked the sound as it stopped in front of Kort's room and the muffled clang of silverware could be heard. With dinner approaching, he decided it was time to wake Tim up.

Not wanting McGee to awaken to his face looming over him, Gibbs backed up slightly and raised up, resting his chin on his supported fist. "Tim?"

Running his fingers up Tim's arm, Gibbs repeated his name and waited a moment. Sleepy green eyes opened and Tim smiled at him. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself. Food's coming, you ready to eat?"

"Yeah." Rubbing his face, Tim waited until Gibbs was sitting up on the edge of the bed before raising the bed into an upright position. Once he was sitting up, Gibbs reached across him and pulled the bed table over.

As per Dr. Hughes' orders, the nurse brought in three trays of food, carefully balanced. Jack stood and took one from her and she set the other two down on the bed table. There really wasn't enough room, so Gibbs helped her take the dishes off one of the trays so the trays could be stacked.

The three men ate in relative silence, even though Jack snickered at the sight of his son dutifully eating his vegetables. Gibbs raised an eyebrow at his father. "Got to set a good example."

"Sure, Leroy."

Tim wisely stayed out of it and when dinner was done and his evening medication taken, he eased himself off the bed to use the bathroom. Jack waited until Tim was on the other side of the closed door. "Abby was here earlier, brought you this."

Gibbs took the folder and opened it. A still from the video footage from the restaurant and an autopsy photo of the same man were tucked inside. When Tim returned from the bathroom, Gibbs casually laid it on a side table.

McGee waited until he was back in bed before he said anything. "Is that about the man that tried to kill me today?"

"Tim..."

"I'm pregnant, not helpless. I have a right to know who's after me, Jethro."

Gibbs had been hoping to put this conversation off until morning. "He won't come after you again, Tim."

"Because he's dead, I know." When Gibbs looked surprised that Tim knew about the fatality, despite his best efforts to avoid the subject, Tim explained. "Nobody had to tell me, I could see it on Dorneget's face. Since these aren't the kind of people that like to get their hands dirty, he was a hired gun, so his death hasn't really changed anything."

Jack snorted and thumped the floor with his cane. "I see the hormones haven't shut down his brain, Leroy."

Gibbs shot his father a dirty look before turning his attention to the man in the bed. "You shouldn't be worrying about it right now, Tim. Just concentrate on making sure you and the baby are all right."

"The baby is fine, I'm fine and I'll stop worrying when we get these guys – all of them." He held his hand out and waited.

"When did you get this stubborn?" Gibbs huffed as he handed over the folder.

"Had a good teacher." Tim was smiling, but didn't look up. Instead, he carefully studied the pictures. "I haven't seen this guy before, but there's something about the other one that's kinda familiar."

"Familiar, how?" Gibbs looked closer at the photo, the third man at the table was mostly in shadow, his hand blocking the camera's view of his face.

Clearly frustrated, Tim shook his head. "I don't know."

Gibbs encouraged him to lay down, drawing the blankets up to his shoulders as he did. "Don't push it for now. I'll have Abby see if there's a better shot of him in the video tomorrow."

"Are you leaving?"

"No." Gibbs bent close, cupping Tim's cheek with his hand. "I'm not leaving the unit, just going to talk to Kort for a minute, see if he recognizes our John Doe."

"Kort? He's here?" Something about that struck Tim as odd, but the mild sedative was doing its job and his eyes closed. Gibbs waited, rubbing his thumb against the soft skin until he knew Tim was fully asleep. Straightening, he nodded at his father before leaving with the folder.

-NCIS-

"You wanted to see me, Sir?"

Vance looked up as he closed the file he was reading. "Ah, yes, Dorneget, come in and have a seat." He studied the awkward man as he folded himself into a chair. "Quite an exciting day for you."

"Yes, Sir." Ned waited, not knowing how much of a failure his first protection detail was considered.

Any protection detail that ended with all of his people basically all right and the bad guy dead was a success in Vance's book, but he had other concerns. "You came into possession of some very sensitive information today, Ned. Now, I know that I don't have to remind you about classified knowledge, but I do need to know about how you feel towards Agent McGee now that you are aware of his situation."

"Honestly, I think it's cool, Sir." Dorneget shifted in the chair and explained himself. "My family has always been very supportive of me, even when I first came out, but the one thing that broke my mother's heart was the idea that I wasn't going to give her grandchildren. I don't understand the details of how this happened to Agent McGee and I don't understand who these people are that are trying to kill him. I just know that someday, maybe by the time I find the right guy, this could be an option for us. Like I said, I think it's pretty cool, and I consider it an honor to help protect him, even if I didn't really do all that much."

-NCIS-

"You doing okay?" Gibbs stepped into the room, noting that Kort was awake, but had eaten little of his food.

Kort barely moved, just turned his head enough to see his guest. "They tell me I'll live, haven't decided if that's a good thing or not. How is McGee doing?"

"Sore, banged up a bit, but the internal injuries were minor and the baby is fine. I'll be able to take him home in a few days." Gibbs held up the folder. "You up to looking at a picture?"

"Yeah." Kort reached for the controls to turn on the overhead light and Gibbs could see the trembling in his hands. Not bringing attention to the other man's weakness, Gibbs held the photos so he could study them.

"He's a ghost and he met with Anderson, so we're figuring he's CIA." Gibbs waited as Kort studied the face.

"I might have seen him in Columbia a few years ago." Kort frowned as he tried to recall the details. "If I remember correctly, he was driving a truck for a group of insurgents."

Gibbs thought back to his own missions to Columbia. "He was training them?"

"I assume so, at least I can't imagine that they sent him down there just to drive a truck. Our missions didn't overlap, so we never spoke. He and his group provided us transport across the border."

It wasn't an absolute, but it was enough for Gibbs right now. "What about the other guy, do you recognize him?"

Kort squinted as he stared at the security image from the restaurant. "I wouldn't recognize myself in this picture, Gibbs. Tell me you've got a better shot."

"Nope, he knew where the cameras were. DiNozzo and David are still looking through the footage, but right now that's as good as we've got."

"You need to understand something, Gibbs. We're not like NCIS, our agency is huge and the men in charge of some of our more clandestine divisions are never seen by us mere mortals."

"Yeah, that's what I was afraid of." Gibbs took back the folder as he turned to leave. "Get some rest, and – nice duds."

The ill man glared, knowing that the pink gown totally destroyed the effect. As soon as Gibbs left, a cheerful nurse bounced in with a new nursing gown, this one a pale lavender. "Hello, Mr. Kort, why don't I help you to the potty and then we can get you changed."

"Potty?" Out in the hallway, he could hear laughter. "I hate you, Gibbs."

-NCIS-

Gibbs woke bright and early, slipping into the bathroom without waking McGee. Once he was finished, he went to the nurse's station for a cup of coffee. Abby arrived just as he was taking his first sip. After a quick update on the lack of progress on the case and a promise that she would be back during her lunch to visit with Tim, Abby handed Gibbs a package for Kort.

"They poisoned him because he was trying to help McGee, Gibbs, this is the least we could do." A kiss to his cheek and she was out the door to finish processing their car so the repairs could begin.

Chuckling at the contents, Gibbs went into Kort's room to lay the bag on the table, using the light from the hallway to see. Despite his best intentions, Kort startled awake.

"Gibbs, that you?"

"Yeah, didn't mean to wake you." He held up the bag. "Just dropping this off. Abby picked up some pajama pants for you."

Now wide awake, Kort reached for the bag. "Miss Sciuto? Can I assume they're not navy blue flannel?"

A snort was his only answer.

"Let me guess, skulls?"

"Oh, no." Gibbs pulled them out of the bag with a grin. "Zombies." He tossed them to Kort, being careful not to tangle his IV line.

Kort shook his head. "You've got a strange crew, Gibbs." He waited until Gibbs was to the door. "Tell her thanks for me, okay?"

-NCIS-

"Hey, guys, why are we here so early?" Dorneget arrived in the bullpen and looked at Tony and Ziva.

She was packing a variety of weaponry into a duffel bag, so Tony explained. "FLETC only teaches you the basics. If you're going to be part of the protection detail for McGee, then it's time for some advanced training, starting with getting proficient using your off hand."

-NCIS-

Gibbs and his father went down to the cafeteria for breakfast, hoping to find a quiet corner so they could talk. Jack looked worried to be away from the secure unit. "You sure Tim's going to be all right on his own?"

"He's calling his mom this morning and Ducky stopping by on his way to the Yard."

Jack studied the hash browns and put them back for an order of pancakes. "How are his folks handling all this?"

Gibbs struggled to explain it without the details. "They're coming to terms with it. Slowly, very slowly."

"Not quite ready to be doting grandparents?" Jack had spent quite a few hours laying on a cot in the staff room, thinking about things.

"His mom's not too bad as long as she stands up to the old man." Gibbs waited until they had finished with the cashier and were sitting down. "His dad, well let's just say that he's more worried about what he's going to tell people than anything else. He was pleased that it's a boy, was already planning on his admittance to the Naval Academy. Wasn't real happy when Tim announced that he might grow up to be a jarhead like me. Also wasn't too happy when Tim told him that the baby would have my last name."

"Really?" Jack grinned at that. "So, he'll be a Gibbs. Any ideas on his first name yet?"

"He won't be a Leroy, I can tell you that."

Jack laughed, then turned serious. "I got an offer last week on the store. They're interested in buying the house, too. I was going to turn them down, but now... I've missed being a grandpa, son. This time around, I want to be around for him and for you. So, you figure out how close together we can be without killing each other and that's where I'm gonna settle."

Gibbs stared at his father for a long time, as if coming to some sort of decision. He'd never imagined his father giving up his home and a lifetime of friends to be close to him. Just as Jack was getting nervous, he nodded. "Next door neighbor is looking to sell and move to Florida. We could tear out the fence, make one big, joint, back yard."

A wide grin slowly spread across Jack's face as the offer sunk in. "Yeah? I'd like that, Leroy, I'd like that a lot."


	30. Chapter 30

_Week Eighteen_

"Feel good to be home?" Gibbs followed McGee into the house and closed the door behind them. It had been a quiet few days in the hospital, especially after Jackson had returned to Stillwater to start the sale of his home and business.

Tim hung his coat on the rack and looked around. "Yeah, it does. Dr. Hughes is great, but a hospital room just isn't the same. I really feel bad that Kort's still there, though."

"Just one more day, then he's going to stay with Ducky."

"That was a surprise." Tim had to laugh. Trent seemed amused by the teasing as he proudly wore his new pajama pants under his robe while visiting with Tim. Even Tony had come to some sort of truce with the man, happily arguing with him over the various renditions of James Bond over the years.

However, the biggest surprise had certainly been Ducky. The two ex-pats had bonded over proper tea and scones and the discovery that Kort's mother summered in the Mallard's one time home town. The arrival of a chess set in Kort's hospital room seemed to seal the deal as the two men played for hours, usually to a stalemate.

The CIA was strangely quiet, but then having one of their operatives poisoned in the agency lunchroom could be a potential black eye, figuratively speaking, as if their connection to McGee's kidnapping wasn't enough.

Over the last few days, Gibbs had made it a point not to ask questions about past activities beyond any connections to the threats against McGee and in return Kort made an honest effort to answer the questions he was asked. For the moment, the detente between NCIS and the public side of the CIA seemed to be holding. Gibbs wasn't sure how long it would last, especially if they uncovered the identity of the mystery man behind both Anderson and their still unidentified killer, but for now he was satisfied.

Happy to have McGee home, Gibbs steered him to the sofa. "You ready for some real food? Vance and Jackie are coming by later with dinner for us."

"That's nice of them." Tim obediently swung his legs up and let Gibbs cover him with a blanket. The fireplace was already filled with tinder and logs so it only took Gibbs a minute to have a roaring fire going. Once that was done, he settled on the floor next to the sofa. With Tim looking over his shoulder, Gibbs started sketching out some new plans for the expanded joint back yard.

Smiling as the plans took shape, Tim reached over and pointed out some possible changes. Gibbs saw exactly where he was going with his ideas and nodded approvingly. They discussed and debated and before long a detailed plan was drawn up. One raised bed of ugly juniper bushes, a remnant from wife number one, would be dug out to become a sandbox, while the meandering paths already established in the neighbor's back yard would be extended to encircle the more formal landscaping in their back yard and creating a path perfect for a tricycle. The final touch would be to replace the overgrown vegetable garden next door with several extra tall raised beds to give Jack a garden area he could maintain independently, even when his leg was acting up.

Swing sets and tree houses had been determined and they were lightheartedly arguing the differences between gas and charcoal grills when Leon and Jackie arrived. Leon shouted out a greeting as they came through the door and Jackie waved Gibbs back down when he started to get up to greet them.

"No, Jethro, you two look so comfortable together. Stay there and I'll bring you both a plate." To make sure they stayed put, she sent Vance in to join them as she bustled around the kitchen.

Rather amused at his wife's not so subtle attempts at matchmaking, Vance stretched out in the chair as he looked around. "Thought you had cable TV installed"

"We did."

"And you're watching it on that old TV?"

It was all Gibbs could do to not burst out laughing at Vance's horrified expression as he stared at the ancient television still in the living room. Finally he took pity on the other man. "The plasma TV is in the bedroom so Tim can lay down when he watching."

"Ahh." Jackie's arrival in the living room stopped anything else Vance might have said. She handed off two plates before returning to the kitchen for the other two.

Jackie settled on Leon's lap after handing him his plate. "It's cozy in here, I love eating in front of the fireplace. We used to do it all the time when the kids were little." Her eyes widened as she looked at the television. "Wow, my parents used to have one just like that when I was little."

Before Tim could say a word, Gibbs speared a mushroom and popped it into Tim's mouth.

-NCIS-

"Good morning, Rachel." Gibbs leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Thanks for coming out."

She unwound the scarf from around her neck and stuck it in her coat pocket before hanging it up. "No problem, how is he?"

"Doc's given him the all-clear to go back to work tomorrow and he's determined to go."

"And you're worried?"

Gibbs poured two cups of coffee as he thought about it. "Not worried, just wish he wouldn't push himself so hard." Tim was coming out of the bedroom, so Gibbs saluted her with his cup and headed down to the basement to give them privacy.

Rachel studied Tim as he came into the kitchen and turned towards the refrigerator. "How are you feeling, Tim? That must have been very frightening to have someone after you like that."

He paused at her question before grabbing a water bottle and closing the door. "Yeah, at the time it was pretty scary."

Tim made his way over to the table and sat, waiting for Dr. Cranston to join him. "It wasn't just what if he caught me, but what if I crashed." He laid a protective hand over his belly. "But once I knew the baby was all right, now..."

She waited while he struggled to find the right words. "Now?"

Tim picked at the label on the bottle. "Maybe it sounds crazy, but I'm almost glad they went after me when the team wasn't around."

"Because?"

"I appreciate everything everyone has done for me, especially Jethro, but at the same time..." He broke off, shaking his head.

Rachel was suspicious, but she proceeded slowly. "When you were being held prisoner, it must have been very difficult to have all your control taken away, very demeaning." She watched his reaction carefully as he jumped up and started to pace.

"Demeaning? Try dehumanizing. They treated me like a damn dog, like a mongrel they needed but didn't want. The whole time, I was either in a cage or chained up." Tim leaned against the stove and shook his head. "I know I shouldn't be angry, but..."

"Why not?" Getting to what she felt was a critical point, she leaned closer, watching his reactions. "Being angry over what they did to you is certainly understandable, Tim."

"Yeah, but..." Unable to articulate his feelings, his hand returned to his belly.

"The baby?" He nodded, but didn't look at her. Rachel carefully reminded him of something he'd told a judge only days after his rescue. "One time you compared your situation to a female agent becoming pregnant while kidnapped and then deciding to keep the baby. Would keeping her baby require her to fall in love with her rapist?"

"No, God, no!"

Kate had told her once that at times you could see the gears turning in McGee's mind and Rachel really understood the comment as she watched Tim digest their conversation.

"I can be angry at what they took from me, even if I love what they gave me. It doesn't make me a hypocrite, it makes me..."

"Human?" Rachel smiled at him. "It sounds like saving yourself the other day gave you a chance to regain some of the control they took from you."

"Yeah, I guess it did, but I know Jethro is still upset that he wasn't there to save me."

The session coming to an end, Dr. Cranston stood and took her cup to the sink. "True, but that's his issue, not yours."

-NCIS-

She usually spoke with the two men on the same day, but often the two sessions were focused on different subjects. Gibbs tended to work their conversations back to what Tim needed rather than how the situation was affecting him. Today she wasn't going to let him get away with it, and she had Tim's permission to discuss their session.

As usual, Gibbs was at his workbench and looked up as Dr. Cranston came down the stairs. "How's he doing?"

"I worry when he worries."

Gibbs immediately dropped his sanding pad. "He's worried? About what? He doesn't need the stress."

She knew that would get his attention. "He's worried about you."

"About me? I'm not the one that's pregnant, I'm not the one they're after. I'm just the one that wasn't there to protect him." Rachel waited, knowing he wasn't done. A few seconds later, he slammed his hands down on the bench, rattling the tools. "Damn it, I should have stayed with him that day. I should have been there when he was in trouble. I have to protect him better than..."

"Better than you protected Shannon and Kelly?" Ever since that day in the park when he told her about what had happened to Tim and the resulting pregnancy she knew this moment was coming. "I know I don't have to tell you that sometimes bad things happen to good people no matter how hard we try to stop it."

The laugh was bitter and she knew she'd hit a nerve. "Then what do you suggest, Doc? A fifty foot tower surrounded by armed guards?"

"I suggest remembering that there's more involved than just his physical safety. We talked about his time in captivity, today. I asked him if was demeaning and he described it as dehumanizing."

"Should you be telling me this?"

"He knows."

Gibbs stilled and watched her closely as she sat on a sawhorse. "All those weeks, either in a cage or chained up, as he put it – like a mongrel dog they didn't want, but needed."

"Damn." Gibbs had seen it, of course, and had heard the details, but hearing it described that way put a whole new twist to it. "It was more than just making sure he didn't hurt himself before he accepted the baby."

"Psychological torture at its finest. It was all about gaining total control over him. Now, he managed to get some of that control back when he saved himself and that's a good thing. Don't let your guilt about not being there undermine that."

"I haven't..."

"Haven't said anything? I know, but you wear your guilt like an old familiar coat, Gibbs. I know it, and I guarantee you that he knows it. You need to come to terms with losing your first family before you can build a life with your second."

Gibbs protested, but it was weak even to him. "I have, I am."

Dr. Cranston stood and walked over to the workbench to run her fingers over the cradle he was still working on. "Have you? Then why is the master bedroom closed up? The two of you are crammed into that little guest room, is the baby going to be in there too? How many more weeks are you going to keep polishing this finish instead of taking it upstairs and sharing it with Tim?"

"It's not that easy."

"Didn't say it was. Question is – is he worth it? And I'm not talking about the baby." With that, Rachel went back upstairs.

* * *

><p><strong>an - been fussing with this for two days, but I think I'm finally happy with it. I'm splitting my time between this and a gen story right now. Wasn't going to start a new one, but it's haunting me to the point that I can't sleep, so I need to write to get it out of my head. I'm not posting it yet, but I'll let you know when I do**. **Thanks for all the great reviews, guys. You always put a smile on my face even when the rest of the day is bad.**


	31. Chapter 31

**a/n - Not a big chapter, but it really needed to stand alone.**

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><p><em>Week Nineteen <em>

"Your back still bothering you?" Gibbs watched Tim wince and stretch after he climbed out of bed, a common occurrence most mornings since he'd come home from the hospital.

Tim rubbed at a particularly sore spot. "It'll loosen up soon." He leaned forward and braced himself against the dresser when Gibbs joined him and started rubbing it for him. "Maybe I'll see about ordering one of those toppers for the mattress, would you mind?"

Gibbs paused at the question, hating the fact that Tim even thought he had to ask for permission. "Of course I don't mind, but would you be more comfortable if we swapped this bed for yours?"

"No, it's okay."

"I don't mind and I know Tony won't mind helping set it up." He moved closer and started rubbing Tim's sides, eliciting a groan from the other man.

Tim really wished they could, but he shrugged and confessed the reason they couldn't. "It's a king, it won't even fit in here."

Remembering Rachel's words from her last visit, Gibbs froze, dropping his hands as he did. Tim assumed that the back rub was done and stepped away. "I'll take a hot shower, that always helps."

"If you were still in the hospital, you could soak in a tub."

"As much as I enjoyed the tub while I was there, it wasn't worth staying for."

After Tim left and he heard the squeal of the pipes as the shower turned on, Gibbs dropped down onto the bed and buried his head in his hands. Tim had slept on a high quality, king sized bed, big enough to stretch out on, before all this had happened. Now he shared a full sized bed, one that Gibbs and Shannon had bought cheap before her mother came to visit. All those years ago, they'd laughed about not getting too comfortable of a bed, least her mother extend her visit. The years hadn't improved the mattress and he could only imagine how uncomfortable the bed was for Tim.

Upstairs was a bedroom plenty large enough for a king sized bed in addition to a bathroom with a tub instead of a shower. He was still sitting there when Tim came back.

"Hey, you okay?"

Gibbs looked up, startled that Tim had been able to sneak up on him like that. "Did it help?"

"What?"

"The shower, did it help?"

"Yeah, it did." Tim wasn't going to push, so he concentrated on drying his hair instead.

In the dim light, Gibbs watched him as he finished toweling his hair before running his comb through it. Gibbs knew that after he finished dressing, he'd take the towel back into the bathroom and hang it up over the radiator, allowing it to dry for a second use. In the weeks he'd been there, he'd never left a wet towel on the floor or his shoes out of place. Rachel's words still ringing in his head, Gibbs realized that despite the fact that they shared a bed and that their combined furniture adorned the living room, Tim still behaved as a guest – a guest in a home that Gibbs hoped he'd live in for the next twenty years.

"There's a tub. Upstairs, in the main bathroom, there's a bathtub. It's dusty, nobody's used it for years, but I'll scrub it out for you today."

Tim started to open his mouth to say it wasn't necessary, but he saw the expression on Gibbs' face and knew it was a big step for the other man to offer any part of the upstairs. "Thank you."

"No climbing in and out of it by yourself." A pointed finger proved he was serious. "I don't want you to slip and fall, all right?"

-NCIS-

True to his word, Gibbs disappeared upstairs with a bucket of cleaning supplies after breakfast as Tim sat down with his journal. Several hours later it was quiet upstairs and Tim became concerned. Another twenty minutes of silence, he ventured upstairs.

"Gibbs? Jethro?"

The bathroom was spotless, but empty. Tim continued further and found the other man standing in what was once a bedroom, now lifeless and filled with boxes, the bed stripped to the bare mattress. Not wanting to intrude, Tim quietly turned to go back downstairs.

"It's okay, you can stay." Gibbs gave him a tentative smile. "Think your bed would fit up here?"

Tim hated to hear the uncertainty in the other man's voice. "It would." He stepped closer, snuggling in close when Gibbs wrapped his arm around him. "This was the room you shared with Shannon, isn't it? A lot of memories are up here."

"Yeah, a lot of good memories, but it's not fair to you."

"We're managing, and I know Shannon was the love of your life and I'm..." Tim looked down at his belly and shrugged before turning away. Gibbs caught his arm and pulled him back.

"Hey, you're more than a walking womb to me, okay?"

"Okay." Tim smiled at him. "But there's something I don't understand."

"Yeah? What's that?"

He thought for a moment how to ask without it sounding wrong. "There's nothing downstairs that even suggests Shannon and Kelly ever existed. Why lock them away?"

A box of photos was on the bed and Gibbs opened it, pulling out his favorite picture of the girls. "First ex-wife threatened to burn the pictures. After that it just seemed safer to lock them away. Then I realized that the less people knew, the less they asked. You really wouldn't mind?"

Tim touched his belly. "I want him to know his sister, Jethro, his entire family."

"Thank you, Tim." Gibbs pulled him close and brushed his lips against Tim's. "Thank you."

Gibbs carried the box downstairs and he spent the rest of the day telling the stories behind each picture. When they got to the bottom of the box, there were some larger photos, already framed. The first picture was of Shannon and a newborn Kelly in a hospital bed, the second was a happy red-headed toddler laughing and covered in birthday cake, her laughing father just out of reach of those sticky hands. The years progressed as Kelly got bigger. Some pictures she was with her mother, some with her father, and a few where the whole family was together.

"These were up on the stairway wall. Each year we'd pick out one picture to add to the wall. The holes are still there."

"So much better than the formal pictures most families do." Tim lovingly cleaned the glass in each frame. "Why don't we put them back up?" Smiling, he watched as Gibbs tapped new nails in the old holes and the family wall reappeared.

Gibbs took the last picture as Tim handed it to him. "A few more months and we'll have a new picture to add. I better get busy on some more frames." He thought about what else was on his workbench. "Come on, I want to show you something. Taking Tim's hand he took him downstairs.

There was only one thing on the workbench and Tim's eyes widened. "Is that Kelly's cradle?"

Gibbs led him closer. Once Tim was in front of the workbench, he stood in back of him, his arms wrapped around Tim's middle. "No, this is the cradle for my children."

"Oh, Jethro." Despite his best intentions, Tim could feel himself tearing up. "It's beautiful."


	32. Chapter 32

There was no attempt to retrieve the king sized bed from storage that weekend, but the door to the bedroom stayed open and the two men spent a few hours there each day. Tim prodded at first as they went through each box, but as the time went by, Gibbs willingly talked more and more about his lost family.

Sunday morning Gibbs took the curtains off the window and carried them downstairs. Once the washing machine was running, he returned upstairs to find that Tim was already cleaning the windows. He leaned against the doorjam and watched as Tim's eyes closed and his face tilted up to enjoy the weak Winter light as it streamed through the freshly washed glass. It had been Shannon's favorite spot in the entire house, too, and under similar circumstances. Taking a deep breath, Gibbs walked the rest of the way into the bedroom.

"That's where we had the cradle. Kelly was jaundiced and needed to be exposed to lots of sunlight when we brought her home. Had a chair next to it, can't tell you how many nights I sat in that chair and rocked her to sleep." Gibbs jerked his head as he turned. "Come on, chair's in the attic."

In the back half of the second floor, the angle of the eaves left little room for functional space, but allowed a great deal of storage. The plan had been to someday lift the back roof line and increase the upstairs living space, but someday had never come for the young Marine and his family. Gibbs opened the door, the light spilling in from the hall was enough to see the chair, but he found the pull string for the overhead light so Tim could look around.

Tim was silently smirking at the stack of partially unwrapped wedding presents as he got a good look at the tastes of various ex-wives when a flat box hit the floor behind him. Gibbs was busy climbing over a pile of artificial Christmas garland, so Tim bent down to retrieve the box. The lid came off in his hand and he stared in shock, only vaguely aware when his butt landed on the plywood floor.

"Tim? Tim, what's wrong?" Gibbs rushed back and dropped to his knees next to the other man. Tim was staring at a hand crocheted blanket in shades of blues and greens. "What the..."

Instead of answering, Tim handed him a paper that had been on top of the afghan and Gibbs immediately recognized the handwriting as the words took his breath away.

For Baby Boy Gibbs,

Someday, Jethro, someday.

All my love,

Shannon.

"She must have made this while I was deployed. Where did you find it?"

"I didn't." Tim pointed out where he'd been. "I was looking at the avocado paisley tablecloths and I heard something fall behind me."

Stunned, Gibbs stood and looked carefully at the boxes stacked on that side of the room. Nowhere could he see any sign of where the box had come from, not a bit of dust had been disturbed. He held a hand out and helped Tim to his feet.

"Gibbs? Jethro?"

"She and Kelly have waited a long time for this little guy." Gibbs touched Tim's belly before reaching down and picking up the box. "Come on, it's stuffy in here. Let's take a break."

Tim quietly let Gibbs take his hand and lead his downstairs. It wasn't until he had a glass of grape juice in front of him that he tried to formulate the question. "Where did it come from, I mean, it's almost as if..."

"Some things even science can't explain, Tim."

"Look at that box, Gibbs, it's not even dusty. How could..."

Gibbs reached over and pressed his hand against Tim's, stopping his words. "Forget science for a minute, Tim, throw logic out the window. What does your gut tell you about it? What do you want it to mean?"

"I want," Tim closed his eyes as he struggled to put it into words. "I want it to be a sign that she approves, that she's happy about the baby, about us becoming a family. I want to believe that she and Kelly are his guardian angels and that they're watching out for him." Tim slowly opened his eyes, unsure of Gibbs' reaction.

Needing to clear his throat before he could speak, Gibbs nodded. "That... yeah, that works for me."

-NCIS-

_Week Twenty_

The attack on McGee had meant that Tony had been able to avoid Ziva's questions, but his conversation with Rachel had never been far from his mind. Every day that he saw Tim and Gibbs growing closer, the more he was convinced that he didn't need confirmation, but every once in a while the question still nagged at him. The beginning of the day was always the hardest, because each day McGee seemed bigger and his movements more pregnant like. Gibbs had gone for his morning coffee and McGee was sitting at his desk, reading his emails, his hand resting on his stomach.

Tim straightened up when Gibbs returned and Gibbs laughingly waved his cup under the other man's nose. McGee breathed deeply, a contented smile on his face. As Tony continued to observe, Ziva laughed and shook her head.

"McGee, if you miss coffee so much, why not try decaf? Would that be all right to have?"

"It's not the caffeine, Ziva." Tim glanced around, but it was early enough that they were alone in the squad room. "Junior doesn't like coffee."

"How could a child of Gibbs' not like coffee?" Her words were serious, but there was laughter in Ziva's eyes. "Are you sure it is his?"

By the time Tony registered his own movements, he was on his feet and the rest of the team was staring at him. Quickly he came up with an excuse. "Umm, all this talk about caffeine reminded me that I promised our Mistress of the Dark a Caf-Pow! this morning." He left the squad room quickly, almost forgetting to get the drink to cover his real reasons.

The music was blaring, but Abby happily accepted the cup as she turned it down enough to talk.

Tony looked over his shoulder before turning the music back up for privacy. "I need to know, Abby."

"Need to know what, Tony?" She took a long sip as she stared at him.

"I know what I told you, but now I need to know about the baby. Is he mine?"

In answer, Abby punched his arm. "Now you want to know? Now?"

"I'm sorry, Abs. I just see them together and..."

"And what? You're jealous?"

"No." Tony dropped his head down, knowing it was all coming out wrong. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his voice. "No, I feel guilty and I'm worried. It was a stupid thing to do, I know that now. I'm not going to cause them any problems, I swear, Abby, I just need to know for my own sanity."

She stared at him for a long minute before punching his arm again, hard. "The first one was for asking me to lie to Gibbs. The second one was for thinking I'd actually do it."

Tony rubbed his aching arm. "The baby is really Gibbs'?"

"Yeah, Tony. I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't talk to me."

It was easy and perfect, but he couldn't fully let go of that nagging little thought that had been rattling around in his head all these weeks. "Show me."

"What?"

"The proof, show me."

He saw her eyes narrow and braced for it, but she just crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "So now my word's not good enough?" She glared for a moment longer before pulling up files on her computer, still muttering under her breath.

"Fine, here you go." File up on the monitor, she stepped back for him to read through the chart tracking each of the six eggs. Egg number three, fertilized by sperm from donor LJG had the longest record, right through to the attached ultrasound files that showed the success. Egg number four, also fertilized by donor LJG had developed, but failed to thrive after the seventeenth day. Eggs five and six were fertilized with donor sperm from subject LV. One of them had faltered after less than a day, while the second had fallen subject to the reduction procedure right before the womb had been implanted into the host subject.

Tony leaned against the table as he read the short history on the eggs combined with donor ADD. Fertilization had failed with one, while the second had never developed past the first few cell divisions.

"What's wrong with me, Abby?"

Still angry, she was ready with a scathing remark until she saw the look on his face. "Tony?"

"The first two they lost were mine, Abs. Is something wrong with me? Does this mean I'm never going to be a dad?"

"Oh, Tony." She threw her arms around him and hugged him. "A lot of eggs don't develop, that's just part of nature."

"Yeah, but both?"

"It could be a lot of different reason, Tony. Maybe they contaminated the sample. They used your sperm first, maybe they rushed the procedure. Maybe somebody bumped the table when they were doing the rest and the vibration interrupted the process. Maybe those two eggs were prepared before they had their morning coffee. Maybe six weeks before the kidnapping, when that sperm was forming, you had a cold or a few beers too many one night." She pulled back and gave him a smile "There's a reason why couples have to be actively trying for at least six months before doctors start checking for a problem."

Tony nodded, not totally convinced. "So I shouldn't worry yet?"

"If you want, Dr. Hughes can probably recommend someone, but I wouldn't be worried. Things happen for a reason and Timmy and Gibbs were meant to be this baby's parents."

"Well, you're right about that."

"Besides," Abby had a twinkle in her eye as she tried to lighten his mood. "Let's face it, only Gibbs is virile enough to get another man pregnant."

He had to laugh at her comment. "Yeah, you're probably right about that." Turning serious, he pulled her into a last hug. "I'm sorry for doubting you and I'm really sorry for asking you to lie."

-NCIS-

Finishing the review of some old case files, McGee sent his report to the printer before standing to retrieve it. He took two steps before stopping, a strange look on his face. Gibbs noticed immediately.

"Tim? What is it, what's wrong?" He was already on his feet and when McGee reached out for him, he quickly joined him. Tim didn't say anything, but took Gibbs' hand and pressed it against his belly. A few seconds later, Gibbs felt a soft flutter against his palm.

"Is that?" A firmer kick against his hand removed all doubt and a slow smile spread across his face. "It is." Gibbs bent down and rubbed Tim's stomach in greeting. "Hey there, little guy. I'm your daddy."

At her own desk, Ziva felt a bit like an intruder and quietly edged away to give them some privacy. She met Tony as he was returning and saw the two men leaning against each other.

"Is McGee all right?"

Ziva lowered her voice and leaned close. "McGee felt the baby move." They both looked at the couple before she continued. "Every milestone appears to make Gibbs happier."

Finally relieved of the burden of worry, Tony really looked at his two closest friends. "Both of them are happy, Ziva, and they both really deserve it."

There was something in his voice that made her turn and look at him. "Are you all right?"

He smiled and gave her a hug. "I'm gonna be an uncle to the world's luckiest kid, Ziva, I'm better than all right."


	33. Chapter 33

**a/n - Ugh, I had hoped to get back on track this week, but my daughter had unexpected and major dental surgery. The wisdom tooth they were watching suddenly became infected over the weekend and had to be removed. The oral surgeon became suspicious when he realized that the infection was in both the top and bottom wisdom tooth on that side and took a specialized set of x-rays that showed further up into her head than the standard ones they do at the dentist and discovered a second top wisdom tooth on that side that was the source of the infection. It had punctured up into her sinus cavity on that side, leaving a hole they had to transplant tissue into the close properly. So, three teeth pulled and nasal surgery all in one go - not a fun start to our week.**

**On the bright side, I do have some large chunks of this written, I just have to fill it in. I also have some great future fic fodder.**

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><p><em>Week Twenty-one <em>

Being one person down in the field, and having the protection detail on McGee, limited Team Gibbs but didn't stop them completely. It was barely early afternoon and they had managed to close another cold case. Ziva and Tony both groused about getting stuck with the paperwork as Gibbs and McGee prepared to leave for Tim's weekly doctor's appointment.

"I believe you have timed this to leave Tony and I with all the paperwork."

Tim might have felt bad, but Gibbs gave an unrepentant grin. "And we do it so well, Ziva. Relax, I've already cleared it with Vance. Play nice with the probies coming in for a tour today and you two can knock off after they leave. Enjoy your weekend, guys."

McGee and Gibbs stepped into the elevator just as a group of the fresh graduates from FLETC started to talk among themselves. "Wow, must be pretty easy to keep your field status once you earn it, did you see the beer gut on that guy? Can you imagine him waddling after some suspect?" There was some laughter before another member of the group spoke up.

"Guess it's better than donuts like the cops eat, then they're fat all over." The laughter faded as the elevator doors closed and Tim turned to Gibbs.

"Beer gut? They called our son a beer gut, Jethro."

Gibbs pulled him close, resting their foreheads together as he struggled not to smile, let alone laugh. "They don't know the truth."

"Yeah, I know." Tim relaxed against him with a chuckle. Truth be told, it was kind of funny. "Guess that was a pretty good indication that my days of coming to the Yard are just about over."

"At lest in the bull pen, sounds like you're going to have to start working in Abby's office pretty soon. Come on, let's go have your doctor's appointment, then we'll go home and grill up some steaks and have Greek yogurt for dessert."

"Okay." From his tone, Gibbs was pretty sure the topic wasn't totally closed and at the hospital it came up again as Dr. Hughes was finishing the exam. "Just how big am I going to get?"

She waited until Gibbs helped him sit up on the exam table. "I won't lie to you, Tim. Our goal is to go as close to full term as possible. I'd say you're going to more than double in size, probably a lot more."

"You're kidding, right?"

Dr. Hughes rolled her stool closer. "If this little guy manages to go full term, which is the ultimate goal, I can estimate his birth weight will be close to eight pounds. Right now, he's just a little under a pound, so you do have a ways to go." She patted his knee as she stood. "Tell you what, I'm going to get you a tube of cream to start using every night. Let's see if we can minimize the stretch marks."

"Stretch marks?"

-NCIS-

"I'm going to get out of this suit, okay?" Tim slipped off to the bedroom as Gibbs went into the kitchen. The steaks were trimmed and seasoned with salt and pepper and Gibbs was ready to start the fire, but Tim still hadn't returned. Gibbs had a hunch, so he set the steaks back in the fridge and went to check.

As he'd expected, Tim was down to his boxers and a well stretched t-shirt, staring at his profile in the mirror. "She's right, Gibbs, I'm going to be huge. All that work to get in shape and I'm going to be the size of a house."

Gibbs stood in back of him, reaching around to slowly slide his hands down Tim's belly to rest below the swell, helping to support the weight. "You know what I see when I look at this? Every day, as you get bigger, I see our son growing healthy and strong and one day closer to being born."

Tim turned in his arms and smiled. "You know what? For a functional mute, you always know exactly what to say."

"I have my moments." Gibbs shared a smile with Tim before pulling him closer. "I'll make you a deal. You don't worry about getting too big and after he's born and Patty gives you the all-clear, we'll buy one of those jogging strollers and we'll go running together, the three of us."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Now why don't you lay down on the bed and I'll use some of that cream on your stomach, all right?"

With help, Tim was laying on the bed, his boxers riding low, tucked under his belly, and his t-shirt was raised up high, exposing his midsection. Gibbs squeezed some of the cream onto his fingers and started to work in into the tight skin. He quickly fell into a rhythm enjoying the feel of the warm flesh under his skin and knowing what it contained.

The skin rippled under his hands as the baby moved and Gibbs bent closer to talk to his son. "Hey there, Bud, you like that?"

Remembering the conversation they'd overheard getting on the elevator, Tim's eyes narrowed, especially when he saw the smirk. "That better be short for Buddy and not Budweiser."

Openly grinning now, Gibbs rubbed his nose against Tim's belly. "Your other daddy has no sense of humor." He pressed a dry kiss against the skin that covered his son and squeezed more of the cream onto his fingers.

Despite his words, Tim was amused by Gibbs' reaction. As he'd told Rachel in their last session, there was a whole side of Gibbs that no one else ever saw. He felt honored and privileged to be let in like that, and when Rachel asked if love was included in the mix, he'd been thrown by the question.

_Flashback:_

_"What do you mean?_

_"It's a simple question, Tim. Look at the two of you. You not only share a home, you share a bed. I think it's safe to say that your relationship is evolving. The question is, what is it evolving into? Have you thought about it?"_

_Tim felt like a schoolgirl as he blushed and ducked his head, touching his lips. "He kissed me." _

_"What?"_

_"The other day, when we were upstairs for the first time, Jethro kissed me. It was just so natural, I'm not even sure he realized it."_

_"What brought it on?"_

_"The master bedroom's been closed up since Shannon and Kelly died, but he's starting to talk about us moving upstairs."_

_"That's a very big step, not only for the two of you, but for him."_

_Tim knew she was going to ask him how he felt about that, so he started talking before she could. "His first ex-wife wanted to burn all the pictures, every reminder that his first family ever existed. He couldn't protect them, so all he could do was to protect their memory."_

_He turned and pointed out the newly rehung family photos. "I told Jethro that I wanted their memories to be part of our lives, I want our son to know his sister and his stepmother."_

_"You told him this?"_

_"Yes."_

_"And that's when he kissed you?"_

_"Yes."_

_"But you and he haven't talked about it?"_

_Tim struggled to find the words to explain it. "I've met two of the ex-wives. Neither of them ever took the time to listen to the silence. But one of the first things I learned about Gibbs was how much he could say without uttering a sound."_

_"Is that enough for you?"_

_"I already have more than I every thought possible, Dr. Cranston." He knew she wasn't totally satisfied with the answers, but their session was over and Gibbs was pulling into the driveway with dinner for the three of them._

Present day:

Lost in thought, Tim was caught unaware as parts of his body began reporting in for the first time in months. He couldn't stop the gasp as strong fingers stroked across his groin.

Gibbs was enjoying the chance to help Tim on a more personal level. It wasn't until Tim's breathing changed that he realized his fingertips were brushing against crisp hair as he massaged the lowest part of Tim's abdomen.

"Tim?"

"Sorry, I'm sorry." Tim closed his eyes as he attempted to control his body's reaction. "Just been a while, you know?"

"How long?" Gibbs didn't pull his hand away as he laid on the bed next to him.

McGee's hips rolled up slightly as his legs relaxed, giving Gibbs silent permission to continue. "Before everything happened."

"Before you were kidnapped?"

"Yeah, I never had a moment of privacy, and some of the guards..."

Afraid of what Tim was about to confess, Gibbs' hand stilled. "Tim?"

Tim reached up and touched Gibbs' cheek. "Their threats don't matter anymore, Jethro. I'm here, I'm safe and I'm with you."

"Yeah, you are." Gibbs turned his face enough to kiss Tim's palm. "You're here with me and I want it all."


	34. Chapter 34

**a/n - No, I haven't fallen off the end of the Earth. My daughter and son-in-law have both had the flu (on top of her surgery) so I've had the little ones most of the daytime hours of the last two weeks. This was a chapter I couldn't write around them and I was too tired by the time I was able to go home every night. The upside is that I did get eleven chapters of my newest gen story finished and a few chunks of Impressions (You want a hint? Gibbs, dog, skunk.)**

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><p>Gibbs smiled and helped Tim sit up to take his t-shirt off the rest of the way. Letting his fingers slide up Tim's arms, Gibbs bent close to kiss his jaw before trailing his lips down Tim's neck. He could feel Tim's hands doing their own exploring and when his shirt got in the way, Gibbs pulled back long enough to tug it off and toss it away.<p>

Now it was Tim's turn to smile as he ran his fingers through Jethro's chest hair, causing a shudder in the older man as his thumbs rolled and pinched the nipples.

Gibbs growled as he dove back in for another kiss, not coming up for air until Tim was trembling and moaning his name. Only then did he pull back to look at Tim. Flushed and aroused, Tim smiled back at him, suddenly shy and aware of his near nakedness.

"Beautiful and all mine." Reenforcing what he'd said earlier, Gibbs leaned close and rubbed his nose against Tim's jaw, letting him feel the words as he heard them. "I want it all, every square inch of you." He kissed his way down Tim's throat and onto his chest. Although it wasn't particularly visible yet, he could clearly feel the increasing breast tissue under each nipple as he skimmed his lips over them. Smiling to himself at that discovery, he started sucking, going back and forth between the two sides until Tim was panting and moaning as he helplessly thrust his hips upward.

Taking the hint, Gibbs pulled back and stood, never taking his eyes off of Tim. The naked desire he saw turned him on even more and he gave Tim a slow smile as he unbuttoned his pants and let them slide off his hips. The boxers were next and then he stood naked next to the bed, not remembering the last time he'd been that hard without his cock even being touched.

Climbing over Tim's closest leg, Gibbs settled on his knees between them before reaching out. One hand on each side of Tim's waist, he eased them down until his fingers slid under the lowered waistband. Watching the desire and wonder on Tim's face, Gibbs let his hands continue downward until each palm was cupped around Tim's butt cheeks. More muscular and firmer than any of his former lovers, Gibbs found he quite like the change.

Never breaking contact, Gibbs rotated his hands enough to stroke his fingertips close to Tim's most private place. The gasp and moaned 'yes' told him that Tim was all right with his ultimate desires.

The boxers were straining against the hard flesh they contained and Gibbs wanted to see him totally naked. Carefully, he pulled on the elastic as he eased the boxers down, Tim helping by lifting up as needed. Once Tim's penis popped free, Gibbs paused to admire it.

He'd certainly seen other men over the years, locker rooms and communal showers left little room for modesty, especially in the corps. He'd even participated in a few circle jerks in the barracks before he met Shannon, but it was an unwritten rule that you didn't look too close. Now, he took in his fill. Watching a bead of moisture form at the tip, Gibbs caught it with his thumb, circling around the head before licking his thumb clean.

Tim moaned at the sight. "I'm not going to last very long, Jethro."

"I know, me neither." Gibbs shifted enough to slide Tim's boxers the rest of the way off, tossing them onto the pile of clothes in the corner. Once his legs were free, Tim spread them, rolling his hips up and exposing his most private parts.

If he were honest with himself, up until this point, Gibbs had been what many would have called vanilla in bed. He was quite adept at pleasuring a woman, but he'd had little desire to explore the less traditional forms of lovemaking. Biting his lip slightly, he trailed a fingertip over Tim's entrance, watching the skin spasm, the tiny hole tightening up even more as it twitched. "You've never?"

"No, not yet." It was meant to entice, Gibbs knew, but there was just a touch of fear in those green eyes.

Gibbs nodded, his hand creeping back up to pump Tim's cock a few times. "Neither have I, and I have to be honest and admit I don't know exactly what I'm doing. I'm afraid I'll hurt you."

"I'm not made of glass."

"I know." Decision made, he lifted Tim's legs enough that Tim was draped over his thighs and he leaned forward until their shafts were side by side. Both were leaking heavily, providing plenty of moisture as Gibbs wrapped his hand around them both and set up a rhythm. Curving his back to keep pressure off Tim's belly, he leaned forward for another kiss. "But we have the rest of our lives, and I won't risk causing you pain."

Close to the point of no return, Tim was panting. "Should probably... do some research."

Gibbs was relishing the feel of Tim's cock rubbing against his own as he, too, was almost to the tipping point. "Yeah, and clear it with your doctor." Tim's balls were up tight against his body and Gibbs could feel the tingling in the base of his own cock. Their speed increased and then Tim arched his back and cried out, taking Jethro with him.

Catching his breath, Gibbs rolled to lay at Tim's side before gingerly licking at his fingers. He knew there would be a slight bitterness to his own fluids, a byproduct of excessive coffee drinking, but the difference between them still surprised him. "I can taste the difference between us."

"Yeah?" Tim caught his hand and pulled it towards his mouth, Gibbs groaning as his tongue danced across his palm. He watched, but unlike several women in his past, there was no sign of disgust on Tim's face.

Once Tim had Gibbs' hand spotless, Gibbs returned the favor as he dropped his head down and started licking Tim's belly, smiling as he felt the long fingers carding through his hair. Like a cat cleaning up spilled cream, he didn't stop until Tim's belly was clean.

Lazy kisses followed as Gibbs stretched out next to Tim, enjoying the closeness they seemed to have discovered. He didn't want to stop touching the younger man, but he also didn't want to push for more sex too soon. Instead, he took Tim's hand and sat up. "Let's take a shower." Tim followed him, the shy smile broadening when they bypassed the downstairs bathroom with the tiny shower stall for the upstairs bathroom with the shower-tub combination.

Once in the shower they slowly washed each other, using soap slicked hands to explore and caress. Soon they were both hard again and Tim turned to face the tile wall, supporting himself with one arm while the other reached back to pull Gibbs closer.

"Oh, yeah." The older man caught on immediately and slipped his cock in the warm crevice of Tim's butt cheeks. Finding the angle he wanted, he started to stroke.

Tim kept his legs tight together as Jethro's shaft rubbed against his opening and continued on to nudge at the back of his balls. Their earlier lovemaking had taken the edge off, allowing them to enjoy the slow build this time around.

The extra inch in height put Tim's ass in a perfect position and Gibbs could pump his hips without straining his back. Tim had both arms crossed, resting on the tile, allowing him to easily take all of his weight and a great deal of Gibbs'. That freed up Gibbs' hands to explore Tim's body at leisure. He started with Tim's chest, honing in on his nipples and the thickening breast tissue beneath them. Pinching and rolling them, he had Tim keening and whimpering within minutes.

"Have they always been this sensitive?"

"Not like they are now. I think you could make me come just playing with them."

"Yeah? We'll have to try that one of these days." Gibbs started nuzzling and kissing the side of Tim's neck and Tim lifted one arm off the shower wall to wrap around Gibbs' neck, keeping him close. Held close and feeling Tim begin to tire, Gibbs continued to play with his nipples with one hand while the other hand began to migrate lower. Down over the swell of his belly to tease at his belly button, before wrapping thick, strong fingers around the hard shaft. Matching the speed of his hand to the rhythm of his cock, Gibbs latched his mouth on the side of Tim's neck as they both climaxed. Spent, now it was Gibbs' turn to support the both of them as Tim sagged back against him. Enjoying the little noises Tim made, Gibbs finished washing them and they climbed out just as the water started to turn cold.

Grateful that the heater was keeping the bathroom plenty warm, Gibbs took his time drying Tim's body, making sure he wouldn't get chilled, before letting Tim return the favor. Both wrapped in towels, they returned to the bedroom, neither bothering with boxers before climbing back into bed.

Once he had Tim settled against him, Gibbs let his mind drift, enjoying the moment, but a worry still niggled at his memories. "Did they hurt you?"

"What?"

"The guards, did they ever hurt you?"

Tim sighed, he'd known that Gibbs wouldn't have let that go. "Before the surgery, when I was locked up, there were a couple that claimed I could trade my ass or mouth for a better life there."

"Bastards." Gibbs pulled him close.

"I never accepted their offers, and they were too afraid of somebody to force it."

"Davidson?"

"I'm not sure." Tim burrowed his face against Gibbs' neck and stroked his sides. "After the surgery, there were always too many people around for them to even suggest something, but they were always there, watching me."

"They'll never come near you again." The action of Gibbs' hands were matching Tim's, stroke for stroke as he nuzzled closer. "Mine, you're all mine." He felt Tim's lips graze across his jaw before pull back to look at the younger man.

Tim smiled up at him. "I'm yours, always have been." He settled back down, rubbing his cheek on the soft mat of hair as the strong heartbeat filled his ear.

Gibbs enjoyed the moment, reveling in the feel of soft breathing against his chest before he tipped his face down to kiss the top of Tim's head. "Always will be." For himself, he would have been content to stay like that all night, but Tim needed to eat. Right on cue, he heard Tim's stomach rumble, then felt the younger man smile against his chest. "Sounds like somebody's hungry."

"Yeah." Tim's answer was slow and sleepy as he snuggled closer.

Despite their need for food, Gibbs had no desire to spend the next several hours tending the fireplace. "Kinda late to do up the steaks, so how about some Italian?" Gibbs kissed his head before sliding out of the bed and retrieving his clothes. "Stay put, and I'll be back as quick as I can."

Warm and content, Tim snuggled deeper into the blankets and watched Gibbs as he dressed and called down to the guards posted outside. Tonight it was Dorneget and Matt Collins from Balboa's team. He could hear Dorneget's voice over the phone, stumbling over his thanks for the offered coffee as Gibbs bent down to kiss Tim again.

"Bring some creamer back with you."

"Why?" Gibbs tucked his weapon into his holster before sliding into his shoes.

Tim reminded him of one simple fact. "Dorneget thinks the coffee in the break room is good."

"Good point." Gibbs swooped in for one last kiss before reluctantly pulling away. Realizing how close to closing time it was, he called in their order as he was backing out of the driveway.

-NCIS-

"Hey, Frank, hey Ruth." Gibbs smiled as he pulled out his wallet. "Sorry for the late order." He was the only customer in the restaurant and Frank was mopping the floor behind the register.

Ruth rang up his order as she started to scold him. "Another take out order, Jethro? Just when are you going to introduce us to this woman that's put such a smile on your face? She's not still sick, is she?"

"Well, actually." Gibbs rubbed at the side of his face before deciding to just spit it out. "She's a he and his name is Tim."

Frank dumped the mop in the bucket. "A he? You're with a man? After all these years, you're telling us you're gay, Jethro?"

"No, dear." Ruth patted her husband's arm. "I saw it on Oprah. If he's dated women, too, than he's a bisexual. Isn't that right, Jethro?"

"I'm not really sure, Ruth, haven't really thought about it. I just know that I'm happier than I ever thought I'd be." Gibbs shrugged as he watched their reactions.

Ruth was beaming, while Frank seemed less convinced. "Gotta admit, I didn't see this one coming, Gunny. So, he's the one that's been sick? Good grief, it's not AIDS, is it? You're being careful, right? He hasn't infected you, has he?"

"No." Gibbs felt the side of his mouth twitch, but controlled it, not wanting to insult the elderly man, and convinced they weren't ready to hear the true details. "It's nothing like that, Frank. He's being monitored very closely by his doctor, but it's nothing contagious, I promise."

Frank was silent as Ruth rang up the order. "If you're happy, that's the important thing. So, are you celebrating something important tonight?"

Gibbs' ears turned red as he stumbled over an answer, and Ruth took pity on him.

"We're not so old that we don't remember those kinds of celebrations, dear." She moved to the case that held the refrigerated desserts. "Now, a celebration deserves a treat. What would your young man like? Chocolate cake? Tiramisu? Perhaps a slice of cheesecake with fresh fruit?"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "All right, Ruth, we'll take a couple of slices of the cheesecake - oh, and three coffees."

-NCIS-

After delivering two of the coffees, and a handful of creamers, to the guards, Gibbs stopped in the kitchen. He poured a glass of milk and then walked into the bedroom carrying the two drinks with the bags hanging from his finger.

Tim smiled at him as he came through the door. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself." Gibbs set everything on the nightstand before helping Tim set up. Once Tim was leaning back on the pillows propped against the headboard, Gibbs stripped down to his boxers. Tim held up the covers and Gibbs joined him before handing over the food. "I got you extra mushrooms."

Opening the container, Tim found his Chicken Marsala piled high with big chunks of mushrooms and happily dug in.


	35. Chapter 35

"Morning, sweetheart." Frank Young wandered into the kitchen to find his wife already hard at work. He sniffed appreciatively as he joined her at the stove. "You were up awfully early. Who's the care package for?"

Ruth pulled the coffee cake out of the oven and set it next to the pot of soup she had simmering on the stove. "Well, for Jethro and his young man, of course."

He watched as she seasoned the soup before turning to the pantry to gather more ingredients. "Don't you think it's kind of strange, him jumping the fence so late in life?"

"Strange?" Ruth paused with a box of pasta in her hand. "No, what I think is strange is a good man like Jethro being alone for all these years. Now, start chopping onions, we have a lasagna to assemble."

-NCIS-

"Good game, Palmer." Tony tossed one towel to the other man and used the second to wipe the sweat off his own face. He'd always marveled at how Jimmy would lose all his awkwardness once he started running up and down the court.

Jimmy caught the towel and joined Tony on the bench, dropping the basketball between his feet. "Thanks, man. It seems like we haven't played in ages. It feels weird not to be doing the tournament this year."

Tony shrugged, the three on three tournament was something he, Palmer and McGee had been participating in for several years, raising money for the Toys for Tots program. "Yeah, I know, but it doesn't seem right to team up with another person right now. Hey, you got time to go help me move some furniture for them?"

"Umm," Palmer checked his phone for any missed messages from Brenna. "Yeah, I've got time. What are we moving this time?"

"Haven't a clue. Boss just mentioned needing some help moving stuff this weekend. We'll figure it out when we get there."

Palmer ignored the snicker from DiNozzo when he'd checked his phone. "It's not all those books in storage, is it?"

"Oh, man, I hope not."

-NCIS-

"Morning."

"Mmm, good morning." Tim woke up warm and content, feeling the strong arms around him and the comforting presence of Gibbs pressed against the full length of his back, their feet tangled together. He wiggled his butt and smiled at the responding squeeze of the arms and the kiss to the top of his shoulder. "How soon do we have to get up?"

Jethro kissed the top of his shoulder again, letting his lips trail up to nip on Tim's ear. "No rush."

"Yeah?" Tim tilted his head enough to give full access to his neck.

"Yep, and we'd better enjoy it now because babies are notorious for waking up at the crack of dawn, especially on your day off." Chuckling at the memories, Gibbs took full advantage of the warm flesh exposed to him.

-NCIS-

"Took you long enough." Abby barely let Ziva close the door before she pulled away from the curb,

Ziva fumbled with the seat belt in the roadster, finally getting it latched before turning her attention to tying up her still damp hair. "Why are we in such a rush, Abby? Does Gibbs even know we coming?"

"Well, duh, it's Gibbs. Besides, weren't you there when he asked Tony to help him move some stuff this weekend?"

It took a moment for Ziva to remember the passing comment. "That was Wednesday. Has Tony talked to him about it since then, and when did it involve us?"

"It's got to be a bunch of McGee's books, so we can help."

"Why do you think it is his books?"

Abby rolled her eyes as she grinned. "What else could it be?" I mean the bossman's got plenty of furniture and they've already moved the chair and the computer set-up and the desk's been there for ages. McGee didn't have a lot of furniture."

"Maybe McGee's bed?"

"Can't be, that room's too small, so that only leaves the books, but I don't know where he's going to put them." Abby thought for a moment. "I guess those bookcases could fit in the basement."

Ziva wasn't convinced. "I can not imagine McGee wanting his books down there with all the sawdust."

"Then it's a good thing we're going, it'll take us girls to figure things out."

"I suppose, but did Tony call Gibbs to verify this? He and McGee might have plans this morning."

"What plans could they have that wouldn't include us?" When Ziva just stared at her, Abby grinned. "Okay, I know what I want to happen, but they're both too stubborn and oblivious. It's going to take a lot of work to get them to that point."

-NCIS-

Lazy kisses and slow petting gently fanned the flames. They were both half hard when Tim struggled to turn over in the crowded bed. Gibbs thought about their options as they explored ways to love each other. "Hey, do you think we'll both fit in the tub?"

Tim gave a slow smile. Wet and slick, they'd had a lot of pleasure in the shower the night before. "It'll be fun to try." Gibbs returned the smile and helped Tim off the bed. The doors were locked and the guards were outside, so they just grabbed towels as they walked up the stairs hand in hand.

Upstairs, Gibbs filled the tub almost halfway before Tim added some of the bath oil. Remembering the clock radio on the dresser in the master bedroom, Gibbs slipped out and turned it on to give them some background music. Back in the bathroom, he held Tim's hand to steady him as he climbed in the tub. Once Tim was settled, Gibbs eased in behind him. It took a few minutes, but eventually Jethro's legs were spread enough to encompass Tim as he leaned back, his back resting on Jethro's chest, his arms resting on the bent knees at each side of him.

Jethro ignored the washcloth and instead poured the shower gel into his hands and started stroking Tim's body. He started with Tim's arms and shoulders, before slowly working on his chest.

The strong fingers traveling in ever decreasing circles to pinch and rub his nipples had Tim panting and moaning. Deciding to test the theory from the day before, Gibbs continued to work on them as he brought his mouth down to suck on Tim's neck. When Tim's hands started to move downward, Gibbs stopped him. "Nope, that's mine."

Trying not to whine, Tim reached back instead, but Gibbs was pressed to tightly against him to reach in between them. Gibbs whispered in his ear. "Nope, not that either."

"Jethro."

"Just lay back and enjoy the ride." Gibbs smiled as he took his time, playing with Tim's nipples and watching his cock bob in and out of the water as he body twitched and trembled. Across the hall the soft music changed to voices as a talk show came on the radio, but neither man noticed. Instead, Tim leaned back resting his head on Gibbs shoulder and started to talk.

"You make me feel so good, Jethro. Want you so much, can't wait to have your cock buried in my ass. Last night was so hot, feeling your cock rubbing against my entrance."

Gibbs growled and let Tim shift enough to put them in a similar position again. Tim spread his legs a bit more and wiggled his butt until the hard shaft was tightly wedged into his butt crack. Gibbs let his head fall back, thumping softly against the tile behind him as his hips started to pump. "Fuck, yeah."

Smiling, Tim braced himself better and started meeting Gibbs thrust for thrust. "Can't wait to ride you just like this. Gonna feel so good."

"Yeah?" Despite climaxing twice the night before, Gibbs knew he wasn't going to last if Tim kept talking. One hand left Tim's chest to touch his face, turning him just enough for Gibbs to kiss his mouth. The kiss and the subsequent silence was enough to give him enough control to extend their lovemaking another few minutes. When he knew he wouldn't hold out much longer, he let go of one nipple and reached down between Tim's legs, scraping his finger across his entrance. Tim howled, pulling Jethro over the edge with him with a yell. Unarmed, unprepared, and out of breath, both men froze when the bathroom door burst open a few seconds later.


	36. Chapter 36

**a/n - Hi all, survived the wedding and had a great time with the new in-laws. Thanks for all the great reviews, you guys are the best. There will be some very vague spoilers for season 9 coming up in introducing another character, but if you haven't seen the episode, you won't notice the spoiler.**

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><p>"Hey, guys! See, Ziva, we timed it just right." Abby bounced out of the roadster and hugged Tony, who was distracted by what he saw on the porch.<p>

Tony tugged Abby away as he waved the front guard closer. "Status report."

"Garcia and I took over at 0700; everything's been quiet. The night shift said there were no problems either."

"And what is that?" Tony pointed to the box.

"Mailman delivered it a couple of hours ago."

"You're sure?"

Vargas just shrugged. "Same mailman as always, put the letters in the mailbox, the package on the porch, delivered all the rest of the mail on the block. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that it's almost noon and you're telling me you haven't even seen Gibbs?"

"Maybe he slept in." By now Vargas was second guessing himself and was only a half step being Tony and Ziva when they pulled their weapons and approached the steps.

Tony pointed at Jimmy. "You and Abby stay here until we have the situation secured."

Jimmy nodded and grabbed Abby's arm as she started to argue. "Tony, no. I have to know if they're all right."

"Stay put." Tony's voice was firm as he stood behind Ziva, watching as she silently picked the lock. Vargas was to his left, calling his partner. Garcia reported that the back was still secure.

In the empty living room, Ziva pointed out the sofa, bare of blankets and pillow. "Gibbs is awake, but where is he and where is McGee?" Quietly, they eased down the hall to the bedroom. It, too, was empty but the bedding was rumpled and half on the floor. "It appears that McGee was taken by surprise, but it looks like he put up a struggle."

"Yeah." Tony glared at Vargas. "So, how come nobody heard it?"

Unfamiliar voice drifted down from the upstairs and all three agents turned, pointing their guns. Tony took point as they eased their way up the stairs, Tony realizing it was the first time he'd ever stepped foot in the abandoned upper floor.

At the top of the stairs, they paused, taking stock of the situation before continuing to creep down the hall. The muffled voices were growing in intensity. They approached the partially closed door, but before they could listen further, a familiar voice cried out from behind another door, followed by another familiar yell.

With Ziva low and Vargas backing them up, Tony went high as he kicked the door open. "NCIS, freeze."

It wasn't just the occupants of the room that froze as the three agents stared at what they found. It took a few seconds, but Gibbs was the first to find his voice as he wrapped his arms around Tim, trying to shield him. "Enjoying the show, DiNozzo?"

-NCIS-

Abby stood on the sidewalk, wringing her hands together as they watched the armed agents enter the house. When several minutes went by with no indication that they'd found anything, she began to panic. The moment Jimmy turned away from her to look around the corner of the house, she bolted for the door. Jimmy cursed and rushed after her, but kept silent as he entered the house. Abby was already half way up the stairs when they heard Gibbs yell at Tony, so he followed her. The figures at the bathroom door blocked her way, but she was tall enough to see over Vargas' shoulder and Ziva's head. "Yes, yes, yes." Palmer's hand covered her mouth before she could say anything else.

-NCIS-

Still feeling the aftershocks of their lovemaking, Gibbs didn't realize anyone was in the house until the door burst open. Even then, it took a few seconds to register who was there, so intent he was at finding a way to protect Tim. Realizing who the interlopers were, he barked out the first words that came to his mouth. "Enjoying the show, DiNozzo?" That seemed to break the spell and chaos ensued, punctuated by Abby's cheering.

Finally Gibbs had had enough and gave an ear shattering whistle. "Out, everybody. Wait for us downstairs." Ziva was the last one out and gave them a sultry smile before she closed the door.

Once they were alone, Tim shook his head. "You were right."

"I was? About what?" Gibbs wracked his brain for when they'd possibly discussed this scenario.

"About the kids waking up at the crack of dawn when we get a day off."

Helpless to do anything else, Gibbs wrapped his arms around Tim, laid his forehead against the younger man's back and roared with laughter.

-NCIS-

Downstairs, the various members of NCIS looked at each other in varying levels of disbelief. Having the out, Vargas just shook his head and bolted for the door, his mumbled "Back to my post" barely noticed by the rest.

Jimmy collapsed onto the sofa, his hands covering his face, while Tony stared at the two women who were smirking at each other. "You knew?"

"Well, I didn't think it would happen this quick." Abby was practically vibrating as she shared another look with Ziva. "But I'm so glad for them. Gibbs and Timmy deserve to be happy together."

Before Tony could say anything, muffled laughter could be heard from upstairs. They could tell it was Gibbs laughing and never had they heard him sound so carefree. Tony smiled and shook his head. "Yeah, they do, they really do."

"But we saw them – naked – in the tub, doing... stuff." Jimmy wailed, his face still hidden behind his hands.

"We certainly did." Ziva wiggled her eyebrows at Abby, who started giggling again. "And it was good."

"Ziva!"

Tony sounded scandalized, which made Abby laugh even more. "Oh, come on, Tony. I know you like to look at pictures of two women together."

"Absolutely." Ziva enjoyed watching the two men squirm. "What do you think women like to see?"

-NCIS-

Gibbs stepped out of the tub before carefully helping Tim to his feet, never letting go until Tim was safely standing on the mat. Only then did Gibbs grab a towel and start to blot Tim's skin dry. Tim picked up another towel and returned the favor, but Gibbs could see the worry on his face. Gibbs lifted his face, letting his thumb rub across Tim's lower lip.

"Might not have been the way I planned on telling them, but I'm not ashamed of us." When he saw a smile light up Tim's face, Gibbs pulled him closer for a kiss before returning to the task at hand.

Towels wrapped around their waists, Gibbs and Tim crept down the stairs, listening in amusement to the conversation in the living room. Jethro winked at Tim before clearing his throat, making them jump. "Glad you enjoyed the show, David."

Tony and the girls jumped in surprise as they spun around. Tony was the first to recover this time and reached up to cover their eyes. "Sorry, Boss, we're really not looking." To prove his point, Tony screwed his eyes shut, but then cracked one open a few seconds later. Obviously amused, Gibbs was walking with Tim back to the bedroom, using his own body to block their view of Tim's half naked body.

"Are they gone, are they gone?" Jimmy still hadn't looked up from behind his hands and Tony circled around to slap the back of his head.

"Great support there, Black Lung."

-NCIS-

Alone, behind a closed bedroom door, Gibbs dropped his towel before stepping close to Tim and tugging at his towel. Both naked, he leaned in for a kiss. Obviously worried about their guests, Tim's response was tentative at first, but deepened quickly. When the kiss ended, Gibbs rested his forehead against Tim's, his thumbs stroking the other man's cheeks. "They'll give us crap, that's what they do, but you're the best thing that's happened to me in a very long time – and I don't just mean about the baby. Okay?"

The smile that blossomed on Tim's face told him it had been exactly the right thing to say. "Yeah, okay."

"Good, now I'll keep the hoard at bay so you can get dressed in peace." Swooping in for another kiss, Gibbs picked up his jeans and pulled them, grinning at Tim's realization that he was going commando. "Hey, they have to leave eventually." Grabbing a shirt from the basket of clean clothes, Gibbs slipped out the door, closing it softly behind him.

Tim smiled, touching his lips, as he reveled in the feeling of being loved before turning to the closet filled with clothes. Habit caused him to reach for the carefully tailored clothes that helped hide his growing pregnancy belly, but then he stopped.

Feeling a little radical in his own way, he instead pulled out a pair of maternity pants his grandmother had sent him. Soft and clingy, they were incredibly comfortable but they did nothing to hide his growing bulk. He also couldn't wear boxers under the low dipping waistband, another reason he hadn't worn them before. With a house full of people he wasn't quite ready to go commando, but a pair of bikini underwear an ex-girlfriend had bought him as a joke worked quite well. To top it off, he pulled out one of his favorite MIT t-shirts.

-NCIS-

Tony and Ziva were still arguing about why it was all right for men to like watching two women together, but not all right for women to watch men together when Gibbs arrived in the living room. Abby and Palmer saw him, but at a shake of his head, remained silent. Gibbs leaned against the archway into the living room, arms crossed, smirking.

The argument had been going on for some time now and Tony was getting frustrated trying to explain to Ziva that women watching men was entirely different than men watching women when a droll voice behind them made both of them jump. "Ziva has a point, but my lover's ass is off limits."

"Gibbs." Ziva squeaked as she and Tony glared at each other, obviously blaming each other for not noticing his arrival. "We didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously."

"Yeah, Boss, you really shouldn't sneak around like that." Tony swallowed hard as he stared at the older man. From his crossed arms that accentuated his broad chest, to his bare feet he exuded a sense of raw power.

One eyebrow went up. "Really? Hate to break it to you, but it's our house. I don't have to announce my presence. The question is, why are you guys here?"

The question threw Tony for a minute. "Umm, you said you needed help moving furniture."

"Since when does 'sometime this weekend' translate out to first thing Saturday morning?"

Abby giggled and tried to rescue Tony. "Gibbs, it's past lunchtime."

"Oops, I guess we lost track of time." Smiling, Tim came around the corner, pulling Gibbs close for a kiss.

"Whoa, McPapa, you're huge." Tony stared at his friend in shock. The faded shirt was clinging to his body, but wasn't quite long enough to entirely cover his belly. The soft fleece pants were snug against his thighs and package, but rode low under his belly. Combined, it left a several inch gap that showed bare skin. "You weren't that big yesterday."

"Yeah, I was." Tim waddled further into the room, still holding hands with Gibbs. "My work clothes were designed to hide my body, but at home," he paused and smiled at Gibbs. "In our home, I'm not going to hide. I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant with Jethro's baby."

"Oh, my."

Shocked, the two man spun around to see the elderly couple standing in the open doorway with a box of food.

"Oh, crap."


	37. Chapter 37

**a/n - short chapter today as this was the only place to break it. Otherwise it would have been huge. We've had a weekend of good weather, so I managed to get a new garden bed dug out and built and mostly planted. It looks good, but man, are my arms sore. Today, one more blueberry plant goes in, then I can plant all my tomatoes. I think Spring has finally arrived in my little corner of the world. Thanks, guys for all the reviews and comments. You might have noticed that I reposted chapter 36 with the right version. Oops. Now, if I could just figure out why I can't upload in Internet Explorer, and why I can't edit in Google Chrome.**

* * *

><p>"Frank? Ruth?" Gibbs looked at them in alarm as they stared at Tim. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but how did you get past the guard?"<p>

"What guard? I didn't see any guard."

At the older man's question, Tony nodded at Gibbs and then slipped out the door to find out what went wrong. Ziva and Abby took the boxes of food and set then on the hall table as they quietly watched the exchange.

Ruth smiled her thanks as the box was taken from her arms, but her attention was on Tim. "I don't understand, how is this possible?"

Frank stepped closer as he took a good look at the apparently pregnant man. He could see the adam's apple above the neckline of the t-shirt and the suggestion of manhood between his legs, almost hidden in the shadows of his belly. The shape of that belly, emphasized by the snug fabric, definitely looked like that of someone with child. Frank threw his head back and laughed. "Ruthie used to say I could get her pregnant by throwing my pants on the bedpost, but damn, Gunny, you got me beat."

Even Palmer was laughing at the comment and Ruth was smiling as she reached out. Tim knew what she wanted and the baby was awake, so he caught her hand and laid it on the right spot to feel the baby's movements. "Oh, I can feel him – her?"

"Him, we're having a little boy. I'm Tim, by the way."

Gibbs stepped in to make the formal introductions. "Ruth, Frank, this is Timothy McGee. Tim, meet Frank and Ruth Young. I've known them since my days in the Corps; they own the Italian restaurant I bring dinner home from once in a while."

-NCIS-

Tony found Vargas sitting on the curb, staring down the street. "Expected to see you unconscious somewhere."

"What?" Vargas turned to look at him.

"Since you're upright, you'd better have a damn good reason for letting two people just wander into Gibbs' house."

After the quick glance, Vargas looked away again. "Sorry, must have missed them."

"Just what the hell is your problem, Tom? I know you were told what Davidson did to McGee, so don't tell me you were surprised."

Vargas climbed to his feet. "Yeah, I knew about that, but I didn't know he liked it. Does the Director know we're sitting out here so Gibbs can play grab ass?"

Tony crossed his arms and gave the other man a hard look. "Grab ass? Didn't know you were a 'phobe."

"Don't go putting words in my mouth, DiNozzo."

"Just calling it like I see it. You were on the rotation when the Director's family was under protection, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You think that maybe he and the missus ever got it on while you were outside?"

"How the heck would I know? None of my business, anyways." Vargas glared at him, not seeing the point.

"So then why is it your business when Gibbs is having some private time with his significant other?"

"But McGee's a guy."

"Ah, so you are a 'phobe."

"No!" Vargas raked his hands through his hair as he started to pace. "Gibbs isn't gay."

Tony pulled out his phone and dialed, speaking to Vargas as he waited for his call to dispatch to go through. "Is or isn't, has nothing to do with the protection detail. If you can't figure that out, then you have no business being out here." The call went through and Tony turned his attention to the person on the other end of the call. "Yeah, this is DiNozzo. We need a replacement agent for this shift on the protection detail for McGee. Yes, right now. Thank you."

"You don't have the authority to do this, DiNozzo."

Instead of arguing, the phone was dialed again. "Yeah, Pam, it's Tony DiNozzo. We've got a problem with the protection detail on McGee, is the Director available? Thanks." There was a pause as the call was obviously being transferred and Tony just grinned at Vargas before straightening up as Vance came on the line. "Yes, sir. The front guard let two people he didn't recognize into the house without questioning them... Yes, sir, I've already called for a replacement, but my authority to do so is being questioned... Yes, sir." Tony held the phone out to Vargas. "The Director would like to speak to you."

-NCIS-

The elderly couple had been given a basic overview of what had happened. Ruth was nodding along with the explanation, but Frank still had questions. "Okay, if that's how he got pregnant, then how did you get gay?"

"Frank." Ruth looked horrified at her husband's question, but Gibbs wasn't surprised at the bluntness of his former squad leader.

"Let's just say that it made me look past the stereotypes and see what I really wanted in my life."

"As long as you're happy, Jethro. That's what's important, right Frank?"

Frank grudgingly nodded at his wife's prompting before looking at McGee. "Gonna take some getting used to. What happens when it's time for the kid to be born? You got a trap door built in there?"

Tim stepped closer to Gibbs. "I'll go as close to term as they feel is safe, then I'll basically have a C-section. They'll remove the artificial womb and the baby at the same time."

"So, no trap door? You're not going to just poop him out?" There was a hint of a smile on Frank's face.

"Nope." Tim returned the smile. "Maybe in next year's model, but I'll let someone else test that out."

-NCIS-

Waiting for Vargas' replacement, Tony carefully checked out the box that has been sitting on the porch, relaxing when he saw the return address. Nevertheless, he waved Ziva out to double check it for him. Once they were both satisfied, Tony carried the box into the house.

"What's that?"

"This is the reason we thought you and Gibbs were in trouble, since it was sitting on the porch all morning. It's from your folks." Tony handed the box off to Ziva, who took it to Tim after he sat down, while Tony quietly brought Gibbs up to date with the changes in the protection detail.

Tim would have waited until the house full of guests had left before opening the package, but they were all quite intent on watching, so he took Ziva's offered knife and started to slice the tape. Mary sat next to him, while Frank sat on the arm of the sofa, both obviously intrigued with the young man that was the new focus of Gibbs' life.

"How are your parents dealing with all of this?"

He gave a slight shrug at her question. "It was pretty rough at first, but they're coming to terms with my decision to keep the baby." Tim grinned as he pulled a large maternity shirt out of the box. "Now my dad's biggest problem is with the idea that our son might follow his father into the Corps instead of the Navy."

"Oh?"

Tim held the shirt up, showing the bright yellow diamond on the front but instead of the traditional 'baby on board' it read 'future sailor on board'. "I think this would be a hint."

-NCIS-

Vance rubbed his forehead as he hung up the phone. He'd had doubts about putting the extremely conservative man on the protection detail, but Vargas had acted very positive about McGee continuing the pregnancy. Now he was short a man on an already very short list and dispatch needed his authorization to give someone a double shift. Pamela came in with a smile.

"Agent Yates is here, sir. She dropped off some paperwork, but I've asked her to stay." When Vance gave her a confused frown, Pamela reminded him of a few facts. "She volunteered to be part of the team looking for Agent McGee when he was missing. She's known him since before he transferred to the Yard."

"What would I ever do without you, Pam?" Vance smiled as he straightened up. "Send her in, please."

Cassie Yates came in looking relaxed and fit after her vacation. "Director Vance, Pamela said you might need me to return to work a little early?"

"We've had a glitch with McGee's protection detail. I realize that you have a few more days on your vacation, but we could use the help, at least until we can get another agent into place."

"I'm happy to help, sir. Tim's an old friend."

"I appreciate this, Agent Yates. I'll let DiNozzo know that you're on your way." One problem solved, Leon turned his attention to clearing the stack of paperwork on his desk. When Vargas arrived, he wanted nothing else to distract him from that conversation.


	38. Chapter 38

Cassie parked across the street from Gibbs' house just as another car pulled into his driveway. She watched the well built man climb out of the car and gather what appeared to be a garment bag out of the back seat. No one was out front to confront the visitor, so she quickly jogged over. "Sir? Excuse me, sir, are you expected?"

Trevor turned with a smile. "Hello, darlin'. Actually, this is a bit of a surprise for Tim. You the watchdog of the day?"

"You might say that. Now, if you would stay near your car while I verify your identification." Cassie held her hand out as she smiled. Once she had his driver's license, Cassie went to the door where she was met by Tony.

"Hey, Yates, thanks for helping out." Tony was hoping for a hug, but she was all business as she held out the license.

"Is he on the approved list?"

Tony glanced at the printed plastic before grinning at the man leaning against a car in the driveway. "It's the miracle worker. Yeah, he's good."

"Miracle worker?" Cassie gave Tony a puzzled look even as she waved Trevor in.

"Yeah," Tony stepped aside to let the other man in. "Don't ask me how he does it, but he manages to make McPapa not look like a beached whale."

Tim heard the comment as he climbed to his feet and laughed. "Hey, I resemble that remark. Hi, Cassie, how was your vacation?"

"Good, it was good." She couldn't help but stare as her old friend pushed himself out of his seat on the old sofa, his movements showing just how pregnant he was. "You've really blossomed while I was gone."

"Nah, I just don't hide it when I'm home." Tim silently enjoyed the reactions every time one of his friends saw him move.

Trevor noticed the amusement on Tim's face, and also the smirk on Gibbs. "I'm not sure how long I can help keep you hidden, but try this on for me, and let's see if we can keep it going for a few more weeks at least." He unzipped the garment bag and pulled out a suit jacket for Tim to try on.

"Wow."

"Yeah, he's good." Abby agreed with Cassie as she came closer. "With the shoulders bulked up like that, it really makes your bump look less like a bump, McGee."

"That's the plan." Tim stood still as Trevor fussed with the jacket, marking a few changes to the length of the sleeves and the placement of the buttons.

Trevor made small talk as he worked. "It looks like the gang's all here; am I interrupting something?"

"The interrupting was earlier." Gibbs' droll comment had the team chuckling and Tim turning red.

"Really, anything good?"

"Very." Ziva's comment had the rest of the team grinning at the two slightly embarrassed men and Tim glared at her.

"What's wrong with us having a quiet morning at home?"

"There was nothing quiet about it." Tony's grin grew even wider as he turned to Abby. "You never told us our Timmy was such a screamer."

"He was never that vocal with me, Tony. Besides, he wasn't the only one we heard." She tried to look stern, but lost all hope when both Trevor and Frank started to laugh.

Tim covered his face with his hands while Gibbs just shook his head. "Remind me again why I asked you to come over this weekend, DiNozzo?"

"Grunt labor, Boss."

"Of course we're not the ones doing all the grunting."

Tony laughed and clapped Jimmy on the back. "Good one, Palmer."

"Laugh it up, you two. You're moving the furniture out of the upstairs bedroom. Then after I get the floor polished, you're bringing Tim's bedroom furniture in."

"Timmy's moving into the master bedroom?"

"No, Abby." Gibbs moved closer to McGee and wrapped his arm around him. "We are moving into the master bedroom together."

The stunned silence might have been awkward but Jimmy gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good, Tony was afraid you wanted all of McGee's books brought in."

"That'll be next week, after we get the bedrooms switched." Gibbs hadn't planned that far ahead until Palmer's comment, but the happiness on Tim's face told him it was the right thing to say, but Trevor shook his head.

"You're just going to swap out one set of furniture for another? When was the last time that room was painted?

Gibbs had a sheepish look on his face as he scratched the side of his face. "Fifteen, maybe twenty years, guess I could throw up a quick coat of paint."

Trevor wasn't finished as he looked at Tim. "This furniture of yours, it means a lot to you?"

McGee wasn't quite sure what he meant. "The king sized bed will more comfortable for us."

"The nightstands, the dressers, they have sentimental value?" He kept nudging, hoping to make his point.

"No, I bought them second hand when I moved up here from Norfolk. Why?" Next to him, Gibbs looked equally baffled by the questions and Trevor forced himself not to roll his eyes.

"Don't you think the bedroom, of all the rooms in the house, should represent the two of you, together? Not just a mishmash of used furniture that functions?"

The two men being questioned looked at each other and shrugged. Before either of them could come up with an answer, Ruth entered the conversation. "Whatever changes you're going to do, you'd better do them before the baby arrives. Otherwise it'll be years before you'll have time to even think about it. What about the nursery, have you started on it?"

Worried that this would start to put pressure on Gibbs, Tim came up with an excuse. "The baby will be in with us for at least the first few months and I don't think either of us are much of a decorator."

Tony grinned and winked at Jimmy. "I thought all gay men had great design sense."

McGee bit his tongue to not mention Dorneget as proof of that fallacy, but Ruth patted Tony's arm. "No, dear, they are bisexual. For such a young person you're not too terribly current with the terminology. You should watch Oprah more often."

Abby and Ziva chose that moment to retreat to the safety of the kitchen with the box of food from Frank and Ruth. Gibbs was quite tempted to follow them, but his own rescue came in the form of a phone call.

"Gibbs... hey, Leon... nope, that's no problem at all."

Tony easily recognized the relief in the older man's voice and waited to hear what the phone call was about. Tim was already convinced he knew what was happening. "Have you got a case?"

"Yeah." He waited the few seconds it took for Ziva to come back in so he wouldn't have to yell or repeat himself. "A suicide's gotten complicated. Navy Reservist hung himself early this morning and turns out he's one of the brain-gamers from the DoD. Vance wants us to take over the case."

Gibbs reached out and touched the side of Tim's face. "We'll need Abby back in the lab, but how about if Palmer stayed with you, helped sort out the boxes in the attic?"

Tim saw Jimmy glance down at the time on his phone and shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Gibbs had seen the subtle movement, too, and understood as he stepped closer and rested his forehead against Tim's.

"Yeah. Besides, I can get started on that research we need."

It took Gibbs a minute to realize what Tim was referring to, then he grinned. "Yeah, you do that." He gave Tim a lingering kiss before pulling back. "I'll be back soon."

"Mind if we stay a bit, Gunny? The kids run the restaurant on the weekends so we've got no place better to be."

Frank and his wife looked so eager, so Gibbs answered them by talking to Tim. "Only believe half of what he tells you, okay?"

"Believe half and suspect another third, got it."

He smirked and Gibbs swooped in for a last kiss. "Brat."

Trevor also made his excuses and left with the jacket to finish. He had a plan that involved his husband, the interior designer, but first he had to get clearance from his brother-in-law.

-NCIS-

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Vargas stood at parade rest in front of the large desk.

Vance continued to sign the stack of papers on his desk, letting the other man sweat for a few minutes. Finally, when Vargas was suitably agitated, he capped his pen and leaned back in the chair. "What's your version of what happened earlier at Gibbs' house?"

By the time Vargas had recounted the events, stopping when he returned outside, Vance was rubbing his mouth to keep from laughing at the images in his head. "Sounds like you got quite an eyeful."

"More than I wanted, that's for sure." The words were out before he could stop them and he watched as every vestige of humor was wiped off of Vance's face.

"So, a sexual encounter means they're no longer worthy of our protection? Hate to break it to you, Agent Vargas, but our charter doesn't include security for the vestal virgins."

"Of course not, Sir." Vargas could feel the situation spiraling out of control. "It was just a shock is all. DiNozzo read too much into it."

"I'm not sure that claiming to be so easily distracted is exactly helping your case."

"But Director, doesn't this bother you? I mean, Gibbs is obviously taking advantage of McGee's vulnerability."

Vance glanced down at the pictures on his desk. "Bother me? The only thing that bothers me about Gibbs and McGee getting together is the fact that I'm going to have to tell my wife that she didn't get her matchmaking plan into action soon enough. And, by the way, Agent Vargas, admitting that you believed that Gibbs was taking advantage before walking away from your post is not helping your case either."

"Yes, Sir." Resigning himself to whatever fate was handed him, Vargas straightened up. "What happens now, Sir?"

"Well, you're off the protection detail with a permanent notation in your file as to the reason. You'll also be attending sensitivity training. After that, I'll reevaluate where you're assigned. Do I need to review the agency's policy in regards to sensitive information?"

"No, Sir."

"Good, because if there were to be a leak in regards to Agent McGee's health issues or his lifestyle changes, it would be considered treason. Is that clear, Agent Vargas?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Report to Human Resources on Monday. They'll have your retraining schedule and temporary assignment. We're done here." Vance waited until he was alone in his office before he picked up his phone. "Hey, Sweetheart, you remember that big plan you had to get Gibbs and McGee together? Don't worry about it."


	39. Chapter 39

**a/n - I've been multi-tasking over the weekend and it seemed fitting to post a chapter of this on Father's Day. Now, back to my gen story, so I can post the next chapter on Monday. Remember, if you figure out my other profile, please keep the separate, my elderly, homophobic parents read all the reviews over there.**

**I was going to introduce a trouble making OC about now, but TPTB gave me a perfect one in Samantha Ryan, so there's some mention of the case that brought her into contact with the team. I'm only following the case in the roughest of senses, so you don't need to have seen the episode at all.**

* * *

><p>"Will McGee be going to the Yard later, or will he be doing background on the victim from home?"<p>

Gibbs looked up in his rear view mirror at Ziva's question. "Neither. If this case is going to involve the PsyOps division, I don't want him near any of it until we get a handle on what's going on."

"The politics going to be that bad, Boss?" The green eyes looked troubled, but Gibbs shook his head.

"The politics are going to be the least of our problems, DiNozzo. PsyOps is all about misinformation, if they're involved at all with this man's death..."

"Damn." Troubled and now worried, Tony leaned back into his seat.

Rachel Cranston was waiting for them when they arrived and stared at the yellow car. "Tell me that this means Tim's not with you."

"Of course not, he doesn't go out into the field, but what are you doing here?" Gibbs was more than surprised to see her at the crime scene.

"Robert was a friend and a patient. I know he didn't do this, Gibbs. You have to prove it."

"It'd help if you had some proof for us, Doc."

"That's your department, Gibbs, but somebody killed him. I'm sure of it." With crossed arms and a stubborn expression that reminded him so much of Kate, she settled in to wait as the agent in charge of the responding team brought Gibbs up to date with what his team had found so far.

"It looks like he was hung, then shot. Suspects claim that his body fell from the upstairs and they had nothing to do with that, only shooting him."

"You believe them, Brian?"

The tall, gangly man with the easy smile and a scar on his chin chuckled as he nodded. "Yeah, I do. Local LEO's said they were scared to death when they ran out of the house. Guess Ducky will have to make the official call, but he was writing prescriptions for himself, which is never a good sign."

Determined that nothing be taken at face value, Rachel interrupted them. "That's the kind of background deception that PsyOps excels at. Dr. Banks invented that kind of operation. Don't trust anything you can't prove with your own resources, Gibbs."

-NCIS-

Ruth found the soup that Abby had placed in the refrigerator and got it warming up on the stove, clucking over the two steaks she found behind the pot. "Now, sweetheart, are you eating all right? I know Jethro's not much of a cook. You need more than just protein."

Opening the refrigerator back up, Tim showed her the crisper filled with vegetables and salad makings. "He handles the meat, I do the rest, but between what get bought or that friends deliver, we only have to cook for ourselves a few nights a week."

"That's good, dear." Ruth reached out and patted his arm. "Women are built for the hardships of carrying a baby, but who knows how a man will do. You need to conserve your strength whenever possible."

Tim knew she meant well and wasn't offended. "I'm being very careful and my doctor is checking my progress every week."

"If you're sure." Ruth didn't look very convinced as she dished up three bowls of the soup. "Well, you come sit down and tell us all about yourself."

-NCIS-

Back at the Yard, Gibbs glared at the woman smirking back at him. If he had to remove her hand from his arm one more time, he wouldn't be responsible for his actions. Samantha Ryan seemed to think that she could distract him enough to derail the case.

"Now, really, Jethro – may I call you Jethro?" She'd managed to casually unbutton the top button of her shirt and leaned forward, giving him a peek. "I think we all know that Dr. Banks was in a fragile state of mind. It's not that big of a stretch to believe that he took his own life, no matter what Rachel might think."

"I'll keep your professional opinion in mind. Agent Dorneget will escort you out." Gibbs stepped back out of her reach.

Dr. Ryan smiled as she picked up her purse. "I hope you take more than my professional opinion, Jethro."

When the elevator door closed, Vance stepped out of his office. "What have you got so far, Gibbs?"

"A burning desire for a shower."

-NCIS-

On the ride down, Ryan studied the young man that was staring straight ahead. "So, tell me about Agent Gibbs, Probationary Agent Dorneget."

"He's got the highest solve rate in the agency, ma'am." Dorneget shuffled to the side, clearly uncomfortable.

Ryan smiled and stepped closer again. "I meant on a more personal level. Is he married, or have a special woman in his life?"

Ned glanced down at the descending numbers, wondering when the elevator had become so slow. "He's in a committed relationship, ma'am, but even if he wasn't, Agent Gibbs is very strict about keeping personal and professional separate. He even has a rule about it."

"Oh, a disciplinarian. That could be kinky." She stepped close enough for him to actually feel her words and he shuddered. "Do I make you uncomfortable, Probationary Agent Dorneget?"

Stepping back again, he turned to face her. "Yes, ma'am, you do." They arrived at the main floor and the doors slid open.

Ryan winked at him. "Good."

-NCIS-

"Hey, how'd it go?"

In answer, Gibbs hugged the seated man before kissing the top of his head.

"That bad?" Tim tilted his head back to softly smile at Jethro.

"Yeah." Leaning down again for a more proper kiss, Gibbs finally turned to greet the happy couple sitting at the table with Tim. "Frank, Ruth, thanks for staying"

Frank just nodded, while Ruth beamed and patted his arm. "It was our pleasure, Jethro. We had a wonderful afternoon getting to know Tim."

Ruth would have been quite happy spending the evening with the couple, but Frank recognized the expression on Gibbs' face. The look he'd see on his men's faces after months away from their loved ones. Whatever the case was, it had upset Gibbs greatly. It took a few subtle hints, but he got Ruth moving towards the door.

Once the door closed behind them, Tim turned to Gibbs. "What is it, what's wrong?"

Gibbs didn't answer at first, just pulled Tim into a tight hug. Tim went willingly, burrowing his face against Jethro's neck. "Those brain-gamers make my skin crawl. We'll need to go in tomorrow, but I want you locked in Abby's office, not up in the bullpen, okay?"

Tim pulled back just enough to look Gibbs in the eye. "You think they'd target me just to distract you from the case?"

"She was practically throwing herself at me today. I don't know how far that woman would go, but I don't even want her to see you." Gibbs trailed his hand across Tim's belly. "If somebody in that group killed Dr. Banks, who knows how far they'd go to cover their tracks. "

"I'll be careful." Tim brushed his lips across Gibbs' before teasing him with his tongue. "Are the doors locked?"

"Yep." Gibbs deepened the kiss, sliding his hands down to cup Tim's ass.

Tim slid his leg between Jethro's, enjoying the fact that he was still going commando. "Guards in place?"

"Oh, yeah." Gibbs pulled him closer, grinding against his leg. "Exactly where they're supposed to be."

"Then let's go take a shower." Tim took his hand and led him to the stairs.

-NCIS-

Annoyed, Samantha Ryan bid the SecNav a good evening and retreated to her office. Much to her surprise, he hadn't had a word to say about Gibbs' personal life. Usually the man was good for a bit of gossip, but on this subject his lips were apparently sealed. Not ready to give up, she wished her assistant a good evening and locked herself in her office before starting her search.

-NCIS-

It was obvious that Tim wanted to take the lead tonight, so Gibbs let him as his curiosity and arousal built. It had been many years since he'd gone an hour, let alone half a day with no undergarment beneath his jeans and he was aching for action. Once Tim closed the bathroom door and locked it, he pulled out the nearby drawer, blocking the door and Gibbs had to grin. "You know, after this morning, I don't think DiNozzo's going to be bouncing in, unannounced."

Tim returned the smile. "Maybe not, but do you trust the girls to not barge in?"

Abby had been beaming at him all afternoon and Ziva was still teasing Tony and Jimmy about their embarrassment. "Point taken." Anything else he might have said on the subject was lost when Tim pushed him against the vanity before resting his hand on the countertop and lowering himself to his knees in front of Gibbs.

Tim nuzzled his face against Jethro's groin, feeling him thicken and lengthen through the heavy denim. As Gibbs let his head fall back with a groan, Tim began to mouth his shaft.

"Damn." Before he knew it, Gibbs was panting and thrusting his hips. Just as he thought he was going to come in his pants, Tim pulled back. "What..."

Tim could smell the expensive perfume on Gibbs' clothes. "The first thing I'm going to do is wash that woman's scent off of you."

"Yeah?" Gibbs liked this possessive side of McGee. "It was kind of like trying to interview an octopus." He reached down and helped Tim balance as he climbed to his feet. "Next time I'll have Tony or Ziva sit in with us. "

"Does there even have to be a next time?"

"Well, since all I got from her were claims of national security and top secret clearance, don't think I have much of a choice." Gibbs watched as Tim pulled his shirt off, revealing his pale skin. "But I'll worry about her tomorrow."

"Good answer." Next to go were the stretch pants, leaving Tim in just the black bikini underwear and he watched Jethro's eyes widen. "Like what you see?"

Gibbs took in the whole view – from the pink nipples, growing larger every day, to the swell of his belly, to the tight black fabric that left little to the imagination. "Oh, yeah. How come I've never seen those before?"

Blushing a little, Tim shrugged one shoulder. "They were a gag gift, but they're surprisingly comfortable. I might have to get some more."

"Works for me." Gibbs started to undress, but Tim took over. The shirt went first, Tim taking his time running his fingers through the hair on Gibbs' chest. Next he popped the button on his jeans, sliding his hand inside to protect the tender flesh from the metal zipper as it was slowly worked down. Once the jeans were down far enough for his cock to bounce free, Tim stepped back far enough to let Gibbs kick off his shoes and finish stripping down before watching Tim lose his last garment.

Once in the shower Tim took charge again, working the soap into a lather before washing Gibbs' skin. With a tenderness that made Gibbs' heart ache, Tim washed his face, making sure to not get any soap in his eyes, before working the lather into every fold of his ears. His neck was next, before Tim started on his chest, taking a great deal of time with his nipples. Eventually, Tim allowed the water to wash away the soap and nudged Gibbs to turn around. Leaning forward against the tile wall, Gibbs felt himself melting as the strong hands worked every knot out of his back before creeping around to his front.

Enjoying himself, Gibbs expected Tim's hands to wrap around his shaft, but instead they slid further down to cup his balls before rolling them around in his hand.

"Tiiimmm." Jethro Gibbs didn't whine, he really didn't, but he couldn't quite help the groan as Tim continued to play with his balls. Shifting to support himself with just one hand, he let the other creep down, but a playful nip on his shoulder stopped him before he could tug on his cock.

"Nope, that's mine." Tim teased him a few more minutes before finally trading places. "Didn't get a chance to do any research."

Again, it took Gibbs a second to remember what kind of research Tim was talking about. "Not exactly what you want to be looking up with company peering over your shoulder." Gibbs started kissing the side of Tim's neck. "Probably not the kind of search you want showing up on any of the computers at work, either."

"That would certainly get the internal security guys in a tizzy." He wiggled his butt around until Jethro's penis was securely wedged in place as they had done the night before. "I suppose we can muddle through another day like this."

"We'll manage." Using one arm to support himself, Gibbs started a slow rhythm. For a little payback, he used his other hand to play with Tim's body, roaming between his nipples and down to his ball sack, purposefully ignoring the hard flesh in between. He even nipped at Tim's shoulder when the younger man attempted to take matters into his own hands. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?"

Instead of answering, Tim tightened the muscles in his butt cheeks and ground harder against his lover. That got him the response he was after as Jethro's hand went for his cock and he pulled Tim along just a few seconds after his own climax.


	40. Chapter 40

**a/n - Sorry, been busy on the gen side trying to get that story done before the new season starts. Now that season 9 is done and has been shown in England too, I'm getting a little looser with spoilers. Bits and pieces of a case is here. I'm not following canon exactly and if you haven't seen the episodes, you won't be lost. I promise.**

* * *

><p>If Jethro had been surprised by how good the sex was, it was the cuddling that amazed him. He couldn't help but smile as he lay in bed, Tim tucked against him. They both had to curve a little bit to make room for the bump, but Tim's head was on his shoulder, his hand was playing with Gibbs' chest hair and their legs were tangled together. He tilted his face down and kissed the top of Tim's head. "Frank and Ruth weren't too much for you today, were they?"<p>

"Nah, if anything, they kind of reminded me of my mom's parents." Tim kissed the warm skin under his cheek. "It was nice, but it got me thinking."

Gibbs was proud that he didn't flinch. "Oh? What about?"

"About work after the baby is born – that maybe it's too risky for both of us to be on the same team."

"Yeah, that's the reason couples usually aren't allowed to be on the same team." If he were honest with himself, Gibbs had wondered and worried about that same thing. "Technically, you should be moved to another team when you're ready to go back out in the field, but..." Gibbs shook his head before pressing a kiss against Tim's hair. "I hate the idea of someone else watching your back."

"And I can't imagine trusting anyone else as much as I trust you out there, but I also think one of us needs to have reasonably normal hours." Tim shifted enough to look Jethro in the face to gauge his reaction. He didn't look upset, he looked thoughtful.

"You're thinking about transferring back to cybercrimes after the baby comes." Gibbs nodded slowly as he thought about it more. "I know how frustrated you get down there, but it would be the practical solution. I won't have too many more years in the field, we could trade off. You work cybercrimes for a couple of years and then go back out in the field when I have to retire or move to a desk." He knew he'd still hate the idea of Tim ever out in the field without him, but Gibbs wasn't ready to ask him to give it up permanently.

"Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking." Gibbs was pretty sure there was something else on Tim's mind, so he waited. It wasn't long. "Something else Ruth asked me."

"Yeah?" Gibbs wasn't sure if Ruth's fascination with them was totally good or not.

"Names. I know I'll never be able to publicly call myself this little guy's mother, even though I'm going to give birth to him. I just figured we'd be Dad and Daddy, but she was asking me if I wanted something that was more of an acknowledgment, even if it's just us that understands the significance."

"That makes sense. You got anything in mind yet?"

"Not yet. I'll need to do some research, maybe find something in another language or culture."

Pulling Tim's head back down against his chest, Gibbs had to smile. He'd never known anyone who enjoyed researching for odd and hidden facts. It made him a great agent, but also heavily recruited by other divisions in the agency. "Whatever you decide on, is fine with me." He felt Tim's smile against his chest.

"I've got time. Besides, I've got other things to research first."

-NCIS-

Sunday morning Gibbs finally got the steaks cooked to go with the eggs and potatoes that Tim had fried up. Gibbs watched as Tim joined him at the table with plates piled high with food. "Hungry this morning, Tim?"

"Starving. I'm so glad the nausea's pretty much gone." Tim started cutting the steak that Gibbs dropped on his plate. "I got a text from Abby this morning, she found some weird stuff on Banks' computer. I'll look into it while I'm running his financials"

"Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

Tim fought back the urge to roll his eyes. "Abby's threatening to put a timer on the computer so I can only work for an hour at a time."

"Really, she can do that?" Gibbs was only able to hold the intrigued expression for a moment before he started to smirk and Tim threw a napkin at him.

"That is so not funny."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Tim tried, but couldn't quite keep his tone light. He knew something, or more precisely, someone involved with this case had Gibbs uncomfortable. "It's going to be all right, Jethro."

Gibbs leaned close and rested his forehead against Tim's. "Just be careful, okay? There's something about this case and that woman... I don't trust her, Tim."

-NCIS-

It was distracting to have Abby beaming at him, but McGee managed to run down Banks' financial records before Gibbs arrived with their lunch.

"How ya doing?" Gibbs set the bag down on the desk, sneaking a kiss as he pulled a stool close, much to Abby's delight.

"He had some really big life insurance policies, one of them was added pretty recently." Tim peeked in the bag and snagged the bag of potato chips before pulling up another image on his screen. "He's lost a lot in his investments lately and that's not the weirdest part."

Abby took over the explanation so Tim could eat. "Somebody really did a number on him, Gibbs. A bunch of the websites he looked at were skewed. Scores and headlines changed, stuff like that. They even changed out most of his blood pressure medicine with psychotropic drugs."

"Making him appear mentally unstable?"

"More than appear, Gibbs. He was really being played."

Gibbs leaned close to look at the pills in question. There was no visible difference between the prescribed blood pressure pills and the substitutes. "This was well thought out."

"Sure was." Finishing the chips, Tim joined them as he licked the salt off his fingers.

Before he could add anything, Abby started giggling. "Craving, Timmy?"

"Maybe." Taking one last whiff before tossing the bag in the trash, Tim picked up a wand and waved it over several devices on the table. The wand beeped continually until he moved it away. "These were found in Banks' sofa and under his mattress. They're electromagnetic field emitters, designed to interrupt a person's normal sleep cycle. The question is, why was he targeted?"

-NCIS-

Near the end of the day Gibbs gathered up McGee and their protection detail and went home. He'd just parked the car when Rachael Cranston arrived. She didn't slow down and Gibbs followed her into the basement. "Have you found out why they killed Robert?"

"Not yet, it would help if you could give us something else to go on. Did he ever mention any particular person he was having trouble with?"

Rachael paced back and forth. "Well, most of our sessions were about his daughter. He was really worried about how the divorce was affecting her, but there was something he talked about, something I don't think he was supposed to mention. Something called Operation Alborz."

"What about..." The phone cut off whatever else Gibbs was going to ask. "Yeah, what'd ya find, DiNozzo?" As he wandered around, listening to Tony explain about the hours he and Ziva had spent searching through the hard copies of hundred of personnel records, his phone dropped the call. A sick feeling developing in his gut, Gibbs pulled out an old radio and turned it on. Using the antenna as a primitive tracking device, he located a listening device buried in a box of hand tools on the workbench.

Rachael's eyes widened, but she stayed silent as he pulled it free and muttered a few choice words into the device before smashing it.

"Damn it."

"Gibbs, how did she get in here? I thought you had a protection detail."

"Yeah, they stay with Tim, not the house." Realizing the implications of his own words, Gibbs bit back another curse as he took the stairs two at a time. He entered the kitchen just in time to see McGee swallow his prenatal vitamins. "NO!"

"Jethro, what?" Tim didn't have time to say anything else before the older man grabbed him and shoved two fingers down his throat. It did the trick and seconds later the pills and the juice Tim had washed them down with were splattered in the sink.

Gibbs held him close. "She was in the house. That bitch was in our home."

Tim was still coughing, his eyes watering, as he stared at the pills he'd just taken and remembered what someone at PsyOps had done to their victim's medications. "When?"

He was painfully aware of why Tim was asking. The vitamins were a twice a day ritual. "Probably while we were at the Yard today, but let's go to the hospital to make sure." Gibbs turned to Rachael as they walked to the door. "Wait for the team, tell them what happened. I'll leave the guards here."

-NCIS-

All of the calls were made before they arrived at Bethesda and now it was a waiting game. Patty and Ducky were both waiting for them and Tim's blood was quickly drawn. While Ducky distracted Tim for a few moments, Dr. Hughes pulled Gibbs aside.

"What are the chances that his meds were tampered with?"

"I don't know." Gibbs scrubbed at his face as he leaned against the wall. "The rational side of me says there wasn't enough time, but..."

She patted his arm. "If there's the slightest 'but' then bringing him in was the right thing to do. Our lab is running his blood right now and Ducky tells me that Miss Sciuto is testing Tim's vitamins and everything edible in the house so we should have some answers for you in the next few hours. Go on in and wait with him, chances are that the stress is worse than anything she could have done to him. Maybe that in itself was her goal."

Gibbs nodded and quickly returned to Tim's room as Patty watched. Something had definitely changed between the two men since their appointment on Friday. Sure enough, as she watched through the narrow window in the door, Gibbs gathered Tim close, peppering kisses across his face.

Vance arrived at the secure unit, coat flapping around his legs. "Dr. Hughes, Dr. Mallard, how is he?"

They both looked up from the lab results they were reading, but it was Ducky that answered. "At the moment everything appears to be fine. We will know for certain when Abigail finishes her tests."

"So Gibbs was overreacting?"

"Someone from PsyOps tampered with every aspect of Dr. Banks' life until they drove him to suicide and someone involved with PsyOps is now targeting Gibbs. How would you feel if you were in his shoes?"

"Point taken, Doctor. What happens now?"

"While Dr. Mallard continues to coordinate with Miss Sciuto and the team checking their house, I'll continue to monitor Tim and the baby. No matter what, we'll keep him here overnight."

"All right, keep me posted so I can update the SecNav. He's not going to be happy about this."

Gibbs came out of the room, but it was the man being buzzed into the unit that he was most interested in. Just giving Vance the barest of nods, he turned his attention to DiNozzo. "Tony, what did you find?"

The Senior Agent knew how upset their findings were going to make the older man. "Boss, every door, every drawer in your house has been wiped clean."

What about the bottle of Tim's vitamins?"

"Abby's still running tests, but the bottle was wiped clean. The only prints were from when McGee opened the bottle tonight. Everything in your medicine cabinet was wiped clean, too."

"Damn it." Gibbs glared at Vance. "Still think I'm overreacting?

Vance decided he didn't want to know how Gibbs knew about that. "What do you want to do?"

"I want a top of the line security system installed in my house. Tim's not leaving here until I know she's no longer a threat."

"Agreed, and I'll increase the numbers in the protection detail until this is over. That way we have someone watching the house when you and McGee aren't there."

"Appreciate it, Leon." Gibbs turned to the other agent in the hallway. "DiNozzo."

"We'll stay on top of everything, Boss. You just take care of McPapa. Just give him a hug from us, and Ziva wants you to give him a kiss for her. Abby wants you to add some tongue."

"DiNozzo." This time there was a threatening tone, but Gibbs couldn't quite wipe the amusement from his voice.

"Just passing on the message, Boss." With a grin, Tony was out the door.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N - I'm not doing Nano, but I am committing to writing 50,000 words this month now that my other project is done. I'll probably be posting in spurts as I'm not writing in a linear fashion with this one.**

* * *

><p>"Mmm, good morning." The movement woke Tim and he tilted his face up for a kiss without even opening his eyes.<p>

Gibbs let himself enjoy the kiss for a moment before slowly pulling away. "It's early, Tim, go back to sleep."

"Where are you going?" Tim rolled onto his side as he watched Gibbs tie his shoes.

"Gonna go make a point." Without further explanation, Gibbs left the hospital and drove to an exclusive and private school. Twenty minutes later Samantha Ryan walked out after having dropped her son off. He watched and waited for her to notice him.

Ryan was smiling as she walked out, enjoying the weak November sun. Never truly letting her guard down, she looked around as she walked to her van and spotted a familiar figure leaning against a nearby car. Furious, she stormed over. "How did you find my son's school, Gibbs? You have McGee hack my records? You follow me?"

"What's the matter, you don't like being on the wrong end of one of your own ops?" He watched as she digested that little tidbit.

When he continued to just stare at her, she retreated to her van. "You don't want to mess with me, Gibbs."

After she burned rubber out of the parking lot, Gibbs got into his own car and went straight to the Yard, knowing that she would head there, demanding that Vance control him better. Sure enough, before he had his first cup of coffee, she was in Vance's office, screaming loud enough to be heard down in the bullpen. Gibbs casually sauntered up, nodding at Pamela as he walked past her to join them.

Ryan was practically frothing as she ranted at Vance. "I take every precaution possible to protect my private life. My son is off-limits."

Gibbs leaned into her personal space, pleased when she flinched. "So is mine." She stared at him blankly, but he kept going. "You came into my home, you bugged it, you went through our things, you had your hands on Tim's vitamins."

"Prove it."

I don't have to prove it. I know it. Everything in our home was wiped clean. You want to keep your family out of this, then stay away from mine."

"McGee's not your family."

Instead of answering, Gibbs crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her, eyebrow raised.

Suddenly unsure, she continued to splutter. "You're straight. You sleep on the sofa and for whatever reason, you let McGee sleep in the bedroom."

"Hope you didn't pay too much for that outdated information." Gibbs stepped closer and leaned close to whisper in her ear. "I haven't slept on the sofa in weeks. Stay away from my family, Ryan. You don't have a clue what I'm capable of."

Her eyes widened at the threat and Gibbs stepped back with a smirk before turning serious again. "I'm going back to the hospital."

After Gibbs left, Ryan turned back to Vance. "Hospital?"

"Your little stunt put McGee in the hospital last night."

She continued to think about some of the strange comments. "Gibbs doesn't have a son, he had a daughter, but she was murdered, and why would Agent McGee be taking the prenatal vitamins in the cupboard?"

Ryan didn't realize what little tidbit she'd let slip as Vance watched her put the pieces of the puzzle together. The rumors about Davidson's research had been so impossible to hide from the intelligence community that he was surprised it had taken her this long.

"McGee was the test subject, wasn't he?"

"Agent McGee's condition is considered more top secret than any of your little games, Samantha, and he's under the personal protection of the SecNav. If you're smart, you'll walk away."

"Gibbs thought I would risk the life of an unborn child?"

"Would you?"

She walked away without a word and Vance realized that she truly didn't have an honest answer to his question.

-NCIS-

After one of the nurses delivered a breakfast tray, Patty Hughes came in with a smile. "Despite your scare last night, you're looking quite well, Tim. Even better than you did on Friday. Would I be correct in assuming that something has changed between you and Jethro?"

Blushing, Tim ducked his head. "Yeah, umm, we were going to come talk to you about it this week. Jethro's worried about what's safe for us to do."

"Sexually?"

Tim nodded as he finally looked up and a smile crossed his face. "Neither one of us have ever done that and he's afraid he'll hurt me, with the artificial womb and all."

"I see." Patty wasn't all that surprised, but the physical and emotional health of her patient had to come first. "You're right, this is something that you and Jethro need to discuss with me and I also think your therapist should be part of the discussion. This is a very big step for you both."

"Not really." Tim wasn't sure how this had become a group project. "Jethro and I have been heading this direction since I was rescued. We just wanted some advice on the, umm, mechanics."

"Let me double check your latest scans and we'll talk when Jethro gets back. If this is what you really want, then I'm happy for you, but as your doctor it's my job to make sure you're not being pressured into something you're not totally sure about."

-NCIS-

Rachael caught up with Gibbs in the hospital lobby, happy to see that they managed to get an elevator to themselves. "Do I need to help you hide the body?"

He snorted at the cheeky question. "Not yet."

"Good." She bounced on her heels with a grin that reminded him of how much she looked like her late sister. "Because I hear congratulations are in order."

"Where..."

"Patty, Dr. Hughes, called. Apparently Tim had some questions and she thought it would be a good idea if I sat in on the session with the three of you."

If Gibbs had any questions, the arrival of several more people in the elevator put a stop to the conversation. By the time they were alone again, they were entering the secure wing. Tim was walking the halls and let himself be pulled close for a hug. "Sorry, I expected a simple yes or no and a pamphlet, not a group discussion."

Still holding him close, Gibbs brushed his lips against Tim's. "Hey, if I can survive the embarrassment of the entire team walking in on us, I can handle this."

Patty and Rachael both stopped in their tracks at Gibbs' comment. Patty was the first to recover. "I thought you hadn't..."

Gibbs was standing in back of Tim, his arms wrapped protectively around his belly. "There's a lot of ways of being intimate without intercourse, docs."

Patty grinned at Rachael. "Well, they've figured that part out at least." She led them to her office and closed the door as she turned serious. "First, let me say that I am truly happy for the two of you."

"Then what's the problem?"

Rachael smiled at Gibbs' blunt question, but she turned to McGee first. "Tim, this has certainly changed your life. It would be perfectly understandable if becoming pregnant has threatened your masculinity. You not only have the emotional impact, but the physical changes to deal with."

Tim leaned back in his chair, laying his hands on his belly, not sure why she was stating the obvious. "Okay?"

Rachael glanced over at Patty before pressing on. "Usual sexual roles in a heterosexual relationship are defined by the physicality of the couple, while in a homosexual relationship the roles are more fluid and defined on a more psychological basis."

"From the questions Tim had, it appears right now that he's planning on you being the more sexually dominant." Dr. Hughes cut in as she approached it from a different perspective. "Considering the hormones he's taking and the pressure the artificial womb is starting to put on his prostate, that's not surprising..."

Gibbs reached out and took Tim's hand. "But he won't be pregnant forever."

"No, he won't." Rachel was glad Gibbs saw where she and Patty were going as she didn't have a great deal of experience counseling newly gay men in regards to their sex lives. "What happens after the baby arrives and he's all healed up and misses the act of penetrating?"

"Then I find out if it's as good as I've heard." Gibbs bit back a snicker as he looked at the two stunned women who'd obviously expected him to feel threatened by the idea. "Right now it would probably take an engineering degree to work out the details if Tim wanted topped me, but after junior is here and sleeping long enough for us to have some personal time, I figure we're going to do a lot of experimenting and have a lot of fun doing it."

Rachel sat back and shook her head. "You are full of surprises, Gibbs."

"Nah, you've just never seen how sexy Tim is when he's all fired up." Gibbs finally let loose the grin he'd been holding back before turning serious again. "This is new territory for both of us and we're figuring it out as we go."

Tim finally spoke up, giving Gibbs a loving smile that lit up his whole face. "And we'll figure it out together. Maybe it is the hormones, but right now I have no interest in topping. By the time that can physically change, we'll know what we're doing, but for now..."

Patty was convinced that Tim wasn't accepting his role because of any kind of pressure or sense of obligation to Gibbs and it appeared that Rachel was also comfortable with the frank and honest discussion they'd had with the new couple. "From what I've seen in Dr. Davidson's research, he expected a certain level of sexual arousal from the weight of the womb and baby. The male prostate responds best to slowly increasing pressure and rubbing.

"That being said, I do want the two of you to take it slow. Lots and lots of lube; make sure it's something designed for anal sex since the body doesn't naturally make any lubricant, not like a woman's vagina. Fingers only for the first few times. If your hands are rough at all, if your fingernails aren't perfectly smooth, wear a latex glove. Or, if you want to arouse him with your tongue, use a dental dam. Even just a condom cut up one side will work. Any sharp pains and you stop immediately."

Gibbs looked worried and she rushed to reassure him. "I'm not expecting any kind of trouble. This is just me being overly cautious because this is uncharted territory. Davidson's other subjects either weren't sexually active or Davidson didn't record any details about their intimate relationships."

Rachel cut in with some more advice. "Get yourselves a couple of good books on gay sex. Don't just rely on information you can find on-line, you'll want more detail. Like you said, Jethro, this is new territory for both of you, so learn together. I know talking isn't necessarily your strong suit, but this is something the two of you need to talk about every step of the way. Use it as an opportunity to learn about each other's bodies."


	42. Chapter 42

Finally released from the hospital, Tim breathed a sigh of relief as the car pulled away. Gibbs looked over and grinned. "That wasn't awkward at all."

Tim had to chuckle and shake his head. "It wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't been smiling the whole time."

"At least they didn't tell us they were going to check our homework."

Tim stared in horror, then saw the corner of Jethro's mouth twitch and playfully slapped his arm. "You are so bad." Still worried about what he had missed, Tim turned serious. "What happened this morning after you left?"

"With Ryan?" When Tim gave a nod Gibbs continued, taking his hand as they talked. "I made sure she got a taste of her own medicine. If she's smart, she won't try anything else. If she's not, then the new security system being installed in the house should take care of it."

That was the first Tim had heard about the new system and he hated the change from the house with the unlocked front door. "I'm sorry."

Instead of a headslap, Gibbs turned serious as the light turned red and he tugged Tim closer. "Hey. You have nothing to be sorry about. I want the added protection because now I have something worth protecting." He could see the cross traffic light turn yellow and knew they would be moving again, so Gibbs kissed Tim quickly before straightening up. "Now, you feel up to going to the Yard while they're working on the alarm? Vance said you can rest in his office."

"How about if I work down in the lab? The quicker we can get this case closed, the quicker we can have Ryan out of our hair."

"If you feel up to it."

"I'm fine, Jethro. I'll find something that you guys can use and then tonight we'll get our books. Would you like to go to a bookstore and pick a few out?" Tim watched as Gibbs' eyes widened at the thought of doing that kind of shopping. "Or, I could order something online and have it delivered."

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. Having people know he was in a relationship with a man was one thing, having total strangers watch him picking out books on anal sex was quite another. "That would probably be better."

Tim held his serious expression for a few seconds longer then started laughing. "Yeah, I don't want to have some pimple-faced teenager ask me if I need help picking out a book either."

They were still laughing when Jethro delivered him to Abby's lab. "Don't worry, Bossman, I'll take good care of him."

Gibbs gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Abs." When she bounced back to her machines, he pulled Tim close for a proper kiss goodbye. "You going to start looking now?"

Tim smiled and snuggled up to whisper in his ear. "Only if I can get up to Tony's computer to leave the search for him to find."

That made Gibbs almost choke in laughter, imagining his curious senior agent following the trail of crumbs Tim would leave for him. Still chuckling, he headed upstairs.

-NCIS-

"You ready to head home?"

Tim looked up and smiled as he finished with his last file. "Yeah, just let me send what I found up to Tony's computer." He stood and stepped away from the desk just as Abby came around the corner with her favorite drink. She bumped into him, spilling the red liquid down the front of his shirt.

"Oh, shoot. I'm sorry, McGee."

"It's okay." The Caf-Pow was cold and the smell turned his stomach, but he didn't want her to feel bad. "I've got an extra shirt with me." He slipped into her office and Gibbs gave Abby a look before following him in there.

"You know that if she knew the smell bothered you, she'd quit drinking them when you're in here."

Tim smiled as he wadded up his stained shirt and stuck it in a plastic bag. "Yeah, I know, but do you really want to deal with a caffeine deprived Abby because I sure as heck don't."

"Good point." Gibbs enjoyed the view as Tim slipped his other shirt on, only to find it wouldn't button over his belly. "Didn't you wear that one last week?"

"Yeah, and the light gray one doesn't fit either. Guess I need to call Trevor and see if those new shirts are ready." Giving up on buttoning the rest of th shirt, Tim let Jethro help him into his coat and pulled it across his middle.

The call was made on the drive home and yes, the new shirts were finished and he would meet them at the house with a surprise.

-NCIS-

True to his word, Trevor Wood was parked at the curb when they pulled in. Dorneget was on duty at the front of the house and gave Gibbs the new security code before retreating. Trevor just shook his head as he watched Dorneget scurry away. "If I ever need a challenge, I could make him look good." Getting back on track with a laugh, he looked at Tim. "You're blossoming more every day, my friend."

"Is that a tactful way of saying I look like a beached whale?"

Trevor took a closer look, noticing how Tim and Jethro were gravitating toward each other, even when they were standing still. "Nope, you look like a man very happy with his life, one that just needs some clothes that still fit and a decent bed to sleep in. Which is why I brought my husband with me."

A tall, thin man with a riot of curly hair stepped out of their car and Trevor made the introductions. Tim, Jethro, this is my husband, Christopher. He's an interior designer."

"Good to meet you." If Gibbs was surprised at the strength behind the handshake, he didn't react. "Let's go inside." He watched Christopher's expression as they walked into the house. "We're pretty plain around here."

"I see." Much to his credit, and the warning he'd gotten from Trevor, Chris didn't look shocked at the old furniture and plain walls. "Very minimalist and calm. It's wonderful to see that you haven't painted over all this beautiful wood, but it could stand a good conditioning." Christopher smiled at Gibbs as Trevor followed them in with a garment bag. "That's a good project to keep you busy while you guys are waiting for your little bundle of joy to make his debut."

Gibbs took a closer look at the wainscoting that covered most of the downstairs walls. They were usually an annual chore as he liked the work of doing it by hand rather than coating them with a varnish, but he'd lost track of it when Tim had been missing. Before he could say anything, Chris spotted Tim's desk.

"Now this is a beautifully restored piece."

Tim was the one that explained. "That was actually my grandfather's and Jethro refinished it while I was... gone."

"Family pieces are wonderful. Any other treasures tucked away?"

"No, not on my end. My mom was the youngest of five, so there's a lot of cousins. Everybody got one piece from the estate and that was the one I wanted, fought hard to get it, too."

They could see that there were a lot of memories tied up in that desk for Tim and Gibbs was doubly glad he'd put all those hours into restoring it.

Chris nodded and turned to Gibbs. "What furniture pieces around here have some of your history?"

He winced at the memories. "Well, ex-wives tend to help themselves when they leave, but that lamp is made from a piece of lumber from my great-grandparent's homestead and the table over there is one I made. Table in the entry hall, too."

"Cool."

"And the bedroom set upstairs." Gibbs shrugged. "You probably want to see that bedroom."

While Tim tried on the new shirts from Trevor, Gibbs and Christopher went upstairs. Chris whistled at the beautiful bed. "You built that?"

"This was Shannon's bed. She saw a picture in a magazine and fell in love with it. I was just a grunt and couldn't afford to buy it, so I built it for her." Gibbs reached out and ran his fingers down the edge. "It's not perfectly symmetrical and some of the detail is a little rough..."

Luckily Jarvis had made sure his brother-in-law knew the story and Trevor had told Christopher. "We'll move it downstairs into the guest room and put a beautiful comforter on it in her favorite color. She and your daughter are an important part of your life, but this bedroom needs to be about your future with Tim. Feel up to making a new bed?"

It had never occurred to Jethro, but the suggestion felt right. "Yeah, yeah, actually I do. Bet I can even manage to make it symmetrical this time."

Measurements were taken and after hearing about the one time plans to remodel the upstairs Chris spent some time checking out the attic and measuring the dormers.

-NCIS-

Laundry started, attention was turned to the finished shirts in the garment bag. Several more were almost done, but Trevor wanted this fitting to happen first. The new shirts fit, but to the tailor's practiced eye, they wouldn't for very long which made him question the slacks he was ready to hem. "You're growing faster than I was anticipating."

"Tell me about it. I'm going to be huge. Throw a tent over me and call it good." Tim sighed as he looked in the mirror. "In my head I knew it was going to happen, that it already was happening, but I'm huge and it's not getting any better."

"Well, you won't be getting any smaller anytime soon, but I don't think Jethro's going to be complaining about it. He's got that 'my lover is carrying my child' strut going on for sure."

Tim burst out laughing at the words and the dirty grin on Trevor's face before blushing over the realization that the change in their relationship was so obvious. "Umm, yeah. I kinda forgot that everybody knows about that."

"Oh, honey, the only way it could be any more obvious would be if Jethro started crowing. Enjoy it, you two deserve every happiness in the world."

-NCIS-

With plenty of food in the fridge, Trevor and Chris were invited to stay for dinner and the four of them ended up in the living room with a cozy fire in the fireplace, eating lasagna and looking at furniture ideas on Chris's tablet. Instead of having Tim pick out a favorite, he asked that Tim and Jethro tell him what they liked and didn't like about each piece he showed them. Not surprisingly, they both gravitated to less ornate, both liked heavier wood pieces, but Tim really didn't like having a footboard on his bed.

"Really?" Gibbs wasn't exactly complaining as that would actually make a bed quicker to build, but he'd never really thought about having just the headboard.

Tim rubbed his belly. "Eventually, I'll be able to lay on my stomach again and it's kinda nice to be able to stretch out when I do. Besides, don't you like to sit on the foot of the bed to put on your shoes? I know I do."

"Hmm, never thought about it before."

"Remember, you're the one always pulling the blankets free from the foot of the bed every night and then spending twenty minutes in the morning shoving them back down."

"Good point." Shannon had loved the look of an ornate footboard, so he'd put up with it for most of his life, but he hated the feel of his feet pinned down by a blanket tucked in tight against the traditional footboard. "Okay, just a headboard then. That works for me."

Chris smiled at him. "Quicker to build, too."

Tim looked at him for a second before turning to Jethro with a soft smile. "You're going to build our bed?"

"Sure am." Jethro pulled him close, happy that the suggestion had been made. "What better way to start our lives together than in a bed you designed and I built?"

Trevor and Chris shared a smile at the tender moment before Chris tactfully cleared his throat. "Okay, we're going to do this in two stages, Tim. That way we can get the two of you moved upstairs as quickly as possible with the basics and then while you're in the hospital, we'll finish it up. We'll be able to use a metal frame and then just add the new headboard when Jethro gets it finished."

"How much will you do now?" Gibbs already knew, had signed off on the idea of doing the full upstairs remodel he'd always planned, but it was going to be a total surprise for Tim when he came home from the hospital with their son.

It was all Chris could do not to laugh at the innocent question. Once Gibbs was on board with the idea of retaking the upstairs, he was all in. "We'll want to refinish the floor and put a fresh coat of paint on the walls. You guys have any color preference?"

"White's fine, the rest of the house is white." Even as he spoke, Tim was flipping through pictures on the tablet and Chris noted that he slowed down and looked at a few particular photos, all in the same color range. He looked up at Gibbs who gave a slight nod. They'd do the white, but it was actually the primer for the final color.

-NCIS-

Their company didn't stay long and as soon as they left Tim changed into the comfortable maternity pants that Penny had sent and his softest t-shirt. Gibbs met him back at the sofa with a tin of cookies from Ruth and a glass of milk.

"Mmm, chocolate chip cookies."

Gibbs smiled at his enthusiasm and picked up his cup for a sip of the lukewarm coffee. "Yeah, Ruthie makes the best cookies around. You look more comfortable."

"Yeah." Tim shifted around a bit until he was leaning back against Jethro. "As much as I appreciate the structured stuff that Trevor is making so I can go out in public, It's nice to wear something soft and stretchy."

"I bet." Gibbs had one arm around Tim and was slowly running his fingers up and down his belly as he kissed the back of his neck. "With any luck we're going to break this case tomorrow. Why don't you stay home, be comfortable and order those books we need and some more comfy clothes?"

"You sure?"

"We're probably going to be out in the field most of the day and I'd rather have you safely here with a security team than sitting in the lab where anyone can walk in. Besides, if you go for the overnight shipping, they'll be here before we're doing the paperwork."

Tim gave him that little wicked grin that he was growing to love. "And if you stick Ziva and Tony with the paperwork, we won't get disturbed."

Tilting his face up, Jethro gave him a lingering kiss. "I like the way you think." He could see how tired Tim was after the long, stressful day, so after they finished their evening routines, he pulled Tim up against him and rubbed his back. Tim was purring within seconds and snoring within minutes. Gibbs wasn't tired yet; before all this had happened this would have been a night he'd have spent in the basement, but tonight he enjoyed the quiet and the feel of Tim's breath brushing against his neck. The baby fluttered a few times, settling when Gibbs laid his hand against Tim's belly. "I love you, love you both."


	43. Chapter 43

_Week twenty-three_

"You're up early." Chris Wood watched his husband roll out of bed after a quick kiss.

"Our new lovebirds are looking for good books to get them started in the bedroom. Thought I'd surprise them."

"Oh, good idea, but why stop at just the books?" When Trevor turned, Chris gave him a wicked grin. "Remember the gift basket Isabel bought for Tommy and Eric?"

Trevor returned the grin. "Perfect, do you know where she got it?"

Chris was already reaching for the phone. "I will in just a minute."

-NCIS-

"Here you go, Dr. Ryan. Here's the ID you requested."

Samantha Ryan took the stack. Driver's license, State Medical Board, Federal Employee ID and three credit cards, all with her picture and the name Dr. Rachel Cranston. She smiled up at the new intern, too green to know if something was wrong and too scared to ask questions. "Perfect. Now you go up to Baltimore and have a wonderful day with your girlfriend. Take my van. Just be sure to bundle up, the heater's not all that good and it's kind of chilly this morning."

Keys in hand, he hurried out and she watched him put on his heavy coat and cap. Finally alone, she swapped out the fake ID for her real ones, putting the real ones in her pocket next to the cell blocker. "All right, Jethro, it's time I met your little man."

-NCIS-

"You all set?" Gibbs finished his coffee and set his plate in the sink before refilling Tim's juice glass.

Tim was enjoying the breakfast Gibbs had fixed for them. "Yep, Rachel is coming after lunch so that gives me the entire morning to research and shop."

"Good. Make sure you get yourself some more of those bikini briefs, too."

"Yeah?" The ex-girlfriend had given him several pairs. They were much more comfortable than traditional briefs and lately boxers always felt like they were going to slide down if he moved wrong, but Tim was pretty sure Jethro's interest was a little less practical. "You liked those, didn't you?"

Gibbs stepped behind Tim and bent to kiss the back of his neck before nibbling on his ear. "Other than Thanksgiving dinner at Ducky's, we've got a four day weekend coming up where we don't have to do anything. Make sure they're here in time and I'll show you exactly how much I like them."

"Overnight shipping it is."

-NCIS-

Gently shooing her last patient of the morning out the door, Rachel turned to her receptionist. "All right, I'm out of here. I've got my session with Agent McGee and then that's it for the week. Enjoy your holiday, Jennifer."

The petite psychology student gave her mentor a smile. "I will, Dr. Cranston, thank you. Have you got big plans for Thanksgiving?"

"Just my husband, the kids and a twenty-seven pound turkey. I'll be cooking all day Wednesday."

"Wow, well, I suspect you'll be eating turkey sandwiches for all of next week, then."

"Did I mention my kids?" Still laughing, Rachel went down to the parking lot. She was halfway into her car before she realized it was sitting at an odd angle. Walking around, she found the cause – a flat, right front tire. Grumbling, she called back up to her office. "Jennifer? I've got a flat tire. Would you call road service for me? Oh, and find out how long they're going to be. I might take a cab to my appointment if it'll take too long."

_Sure thing, Dr. Cranston._

-NCIS-

As much as Tim loved the attention and the closeness he'd been getting from Jethro, spending the morning bouncing between shopping and gaming had been fun, but he'd needed to scramble a bit to have his lunch finished before Rachel arrived. Pleased with his purchases, he put the laptop away and padded into the kitchen to heat up some of the leftover lasagna.

-NCIS-

Cassie Yates was on guard duty in the front of the house when a black sedan pulled up. She waited for the driver to shut off the engine before approaching with a smile. "Hi, could I see some ID?"

Smoky blue eyes looked back at her as the window slid down. "Of course. You know, I don't think I've seen you here before. I'm a little early for my session with Timothy and hoping he doesn't mind. I've got a lot of cooking to do before Thursday."

Looking over the ID, everything appeared to be in order. She'd heard that Tim's therapist would be coming by that day. "I'm sure it won't be a problem, Dr. Cranston. I'll walk you up." She waited while the doctor locked up her car and then they walked up onto the porch.

Cassie punched in the code and opened the door. "Tim, your doctor's here." She could hear his voice from the kitchen.

"Thanks, send her in. I'm just finishing up my lunch."

Ryan gave what she hoped looked like a sincere smile to Cassie as the agent turned to return to her post. "Thank you so much, Agent Yates."

-NCIS-

Tim was just finished the last of his lunch when he heard Cassie. Picking up his plate he answered her as he moved toward the sink. "Thanks, send her in. I'm just finishing up my lunch."

Chuckling to himself over how Rachel would react to his expanding shape not hidden away, he called out as he heard footsteps across the living room. "I'm just grabbing some juice. You want anything?"

"Some juice sounds wonderful, thank you."

He spun at the unfamiliar voice to find a strange woman standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He may not have met her before, but her picture had come up repeatedly in his research for the case. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Now, now, Timothy – can I call you Tim? Is that any way to greet a guest?" She smiled and stepped closer and he subtly took a step to the side, putting him nearer the knife drawer.

"My friends call my Tim. You can call me Agent McGee, Dr. Ryan, and you're not exactly an invited guest, are you?"

She pouted, but he didn't believe the sincerity for a moment. "What? We can't be friends? I'd like to be your friend."

"Because friends always break into each other's houses. Why don't I believe you?"

"I didn't break in. Your guard just opened the door and let me in. After all, I have such a trustworthy face."

"And damned good fake ID, I bet."

"Well," she shrugged with a half smile. "There was that, too."

"I see. So, where is Rachel?"

"Having car trouble, I believe. I thought I'd fill in for you – so you wouldn't miss a session, after all. I must admit, you're much bigger than I expected, but then a man's body really isn't designed for that, is it?"

Feeling like he was trapped in a cage with a cobra, Tim leaned against the counter and watched her carefully. "My body is managing just fine. Now, what do you really want?"

"I just want to talk."

-NCIS-

"Take Miss Banks into Interrogation Room 1 and put Mitchell into room 2." When Ziva and Tony took their two suspects into their respective interrogation rooms, Vance shook his head at Gibbs.

"You're serious? She did that to her own father for the money? Most girls her age are still trying to figure out how to get their fathers to loan them the family car."

"Yeah." Gibbs was ready to wash his hands of the whole, sordid mess. "I'll just be glad to send this case to the DA. Let him deal with them." Anything else he might have said was interrupted by his cell phone. "Gibbs."

_Jethro, it's Rachel. I'm running late and I tried to call Tim to let him know, but there's no answer._

Gibbs frowned at that. "How long ago?"

_The last time I tried was about fifteen minutes ago._

"I'll take care of it, Rachel."

Becoming alarmed, Gibbs was already moving toward the stairs, Vance at his heels, as he disconnected and called Cassie. "Yates, Tim's not answering his phone."

_Probably because he was having his session with his therapist, Gibbs._

"No, his therapist just called that she's running late. Who in the hell is in there with him?"

_I'm... I don't know. She just left._

Gibbs could hear her running into the house and calling for McGee before she came back on the line.

_He seems to be all right, Gibbs, but he's just sitting there. He's not answering me._

Gibbs didn't answer either, just jumped in the car and burned rubber out the parking lot.

-NCIS-

Cassie was standing on the porch, wringing her hands as Gibbs arrived. "I'm so, so sorry, Gibbs. Her ID said Dr. Cranston and she even apologized for being early. She said she was hoping to get started on cooking for Thanksgiving."

The Director's SUV pulled up to the curb and Vance jumped out of the back seat in time to hear what was said. "Describe her, Agent Yates."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Cassie rattled off what she remembered. "Umm, about my height, thin, short gray hair, dark blue eyes, commanding presence. She knew what she was doing, even commented that I was new on the detail."

Vance could tell that Gibbs wanted blood from Ryan. "I'll deal with her, you take care of Tim."

Gibbs nodded, the side of his jaw twitching. "This is strike two for that woman, Leon. I don't care how important she thinks she is." He glared at Vance a second longer before going in the house. On the porch, Yates turned back to the Director.

"I take full responsibility for this, Director Vance. I didn't catch that the ID she showed me was fake and I didn't walk inside with her. If I had..."

"That ID was as good or better than any we put together for an undercover assignment, I guarantee you. We've all been underestimating her since she first came aboard the Yard." Vance understood how upset Gibbs was, but technically protocol hadn't been broken. Just twisted by someone who knew their way around the system. "Give Gibbs a few days to calm down and try not to take it too personally in the meantime."

"Yes, Sir. It's just that Tim is my friend and I feel like I let him down."

"I know, Cassie, I know."

-NCIS-

Gibbs heard the discussion on the porch as he closed the door, but his attention was on the figure sitting on the sofa. Quietly he crept in, but speaking softly before he sat down as to not startle the pregnant man. "Tim, did she hurt you?"

Tim gave a shake of his head, but didn't utter a sound.

"Did she touch you?"

Another silent shake of the head, but this time Gibbs lifted the down-turned face to look him in the eye. "She's messing with your head because she's fixated on me. Apparently since I didn't fall to the floor in awe of her womanhood, I'm a challenge." That got a trace of a smile. "Don't let her get to you, Tim."

Tim stared at him for a long moment before he said anything.

"Did I trap you? Did I somehow become one of those women my father always warned me about? I've looked at other guys over the years and thought about it, but you're straight." Tim shook his head. "I don't want you to regret being with me, to think that you have to have sex with me to be a father to our son."

Wanting to stop that train of thought, Gibbs pressed his finger against Tim's lips while he thought through how to get his point across. Words had never been his strong suit, so he decided on a more hands on approach and pulled Tim to his feet. He needed a mirror and the only full length one was in the upstairs bathroom.

Tim obediently let himself be led upstairs, only giving Jethro a questioning look when they went into the bathroom and closed the door. Gibbs turned him to face the mirror mounted on the door and pulled Tim's t-shirt off as he watched him in the mirror. Next came the pants and he carefully helped Tim balance as he stepped out of them. Once Tim was standing in front of the mirror in nothing but the black bikini, Gibbs let his fingers trail up and down the sides of Tim's belly. Only then did he start to speak. "She tried to convince you that this is all I see when I look at you, didn't she? That eventually, after the baby is here and you look like you again, I'll be repulsed by the idea that I'm sleeping with a man.

Biting his lip as he heard the words in Gibbs' voice, Tim nodded but didn't say anything.

Gibbs moved even closer, his lips brushing against Tim's ear as he talked. "When my dad was here, I told him I was straight. He said that no one was totally straight and then he told me about a kid I went to school with, that he came out last year. You know what I told him?"

Another silent answer, but this time it was a shake of the head.

"I told him that Marty had been wearing women's underwear since he was twelve so I'm not so sure he was ever really in the closet. Now, how do you think I knew that?"

This time realization made the green eyes grow larger.

Gibbs had a far away look in his eyes as he remembered. "Small town back then, if anyone ever asked you, you were straight and any experimenting you did was just that. It was an experiment. You got it out of your system and then found a nice girl that would give you babies.

"Yeah, we were only twelve, but he was my first kiss. When we were thirteen, he was my first hand job and at fourteen, he gave me my first blowjob. We never went any further than that, but it wasn't because I found it repulsive. It was a little town filled with busybodies and it wasn't worth the risk. Then I discovered women and eventually Shannon." Gibbs' left hand moved down to stroke Tim's cock through the silky fabric while his right one circled his belly.

"I loved her, you know that, but part of why I loved her was that she was the strongest woman I'd ever met. Strong, determined and knew what she wanted out of life. If it weren't for the fact that she was a beautiful woman with long hair, the bigots in town would have accused her of being a lesbian. Some of them did call her a dyke behind her back."

"Because she stood up for herself?"

"Thirty years ago in Stillwater, that was unheard of. You know, she's the one that taught me the rules. Her first rule was never date a lumberjack."

"Guess it's a good thing I'm not a lumberjack."

"Sure is. After Shannon, I stuck with women for the same reasons. Small towns and the Corps back then, there really wasn't that much difference. I never met a man that was worth the risk, not until you. But you're worth the risk and with you, I get it all."

Gibbs touched Tim's chest, circling his fingers around one nipple, feeling the thickening tissue beneath. "I get this." His other hand was still stroking Tim's cock but now he tugged the fabric down, letting the organ pop free as he watched in the mirror. "And I get this. Plus I get the pleasure of loving a pregnant body, but I know you're still a man and I promise I'm not forgetting that. Okay?"

It was without a doubt the longest speech he'd ever heard from Gibbs. "Okay." Tilting his head up, Tim wrapped his arms up around Gibbs' neck and kissed his lips, the first time he'd been the one to initiate more than a simple peck. "I'm yours and you're mine."

"Exactly. Ryan will never understand that, but that's her own ego talking."

"She did seem to think that all she had to do was snap her fingers at you." Tim was still nibbling on his lips, but there was a smile threatening to burst out behind it as he rubbed his ass against Jethro's groin.

"Yep, and she's the kind that will just keep snapping those finger, expecting me to jump. She probably won't get it until she catches us making out behind the bleachers at Junior's high school graduation." Gibbs gently turned Tim until they were looking each other in the eye instead of watching their reflections. "You all right now?"

"Yeah." Tim let himself be pulled into a hug, melting in the strong arms. "Don't kill Cassie, okay? She really thought it was Rachel." When Gibbs hesitated Tim grazed his fingers across his stomach and then lower, the worried look from earlier being replaced by something more playful. Gibbs grinned back at him

"You gonna make it worth my while?"

"We've got a four day weekend coming up, right?"

"Oh, yeah."


	44. Chapter 44

Cassie stared at the second set of ID for Dr. Cranston she'd seen today. Her gut was telling her that this was actually the right one, but she still had her doubts. "Can you wait a moment while I confirm this?"

"Confirm what? Just what happened today?"

"Well, you're the second Dr. Cranston we've had today."

"The second...? Samantha."

"Yeah." Cassie had called for Dorneget to join them from the back of the house. When he appeared, he recognized Rachel right away.

"Hey, Dr. Cranston, I'm sure glad you finally made it."

"Ned." Rachel gave him a nod while Cassie returned her identification. "Is Tim all right? I can't imagine Sam trying to physically hurt him, but I'm sure she caused enough problems."

"More than enough." This time Cassie walked into the house with the doctor and called out. "Gibbs, Tim, the real Dr. Cranston is here."

-NCIS-

Tim was just unbuckling Gibbs' belt when they heard Cassie call out. "Crap."

Gibbs couldn't help but laugh. "I swear our lives are one big interruption. I'll stall them while you get dressed."

He was halfway to the door when Tim realized what they'd been doing. "Jethro, your belt."

Gibbs looked down at the partially undone belt before grinning at Tim and leaving it that way as he went downstairs, making a show of buckling it as he came into their view.

"Ah, the real Dr. Cranston this time. It's good to see you."

Cassie took that as her cue. "Gibbs, what happened earlier was totally my fault."

"Yes, it was." He'd promised Tim that he wouldn't kill her, but making her squirm wasn't part of the bargain. He waited just a moment longer before offering an olive branch. "Just make sure it never happens again."

"It won't, I promise." Taking the hint, Cassie scurried out, leaving Rachel alone with Gibbs. Rachel studied him carefully.

"How bad?"

"We're working on it."

One eyebrow went up, she'd seen him bucking his belt. "Sex won't fix everything, Gibbs."

"No, but when she was trying to convince him that he's somehow trapped me and that eventually I'll be disgusted by the very sight of him..."

"Point taken." Rachel had more to say on the subject, but Tim was coming down the stairs and the words died on her lips. "Wow."

Tim knew exactly what he looked like. Barefoot, the clingy pants and a shirt that didn't fully cover his belly, he looked almost ready to pop. "Hi, Rachel." Grinning at her stunned expression, he walked past her and into the kitchen for the juice he'd never gotten earlier.

She followed him, still staring. It hadn't been that long since she'd seen him but it was the first time he wasn't actively trying to hide his shape. "You've... you're..."

Glass in hand, Tim turned to lean back against the counter. "Barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen?"

Rachel burst out laughing. "Yeah, that about covers it." Turning serious, she shook her head. "Tim, I am so sorry that Sam used our session to get to you."

Tim looked at Gibbs for a moment with such a loving look that it took her breath away before returning his attention to her. "Whatever she did to your car, make sure to send her the bill and we'll call it even."

Worry evident on her face, Rachel watched him. "You know that whatever she said to you was just some mind trick of hers, right? I hope she didn't get to you."

"She did at first, but Jethro helped me work through it." Tim stepped closer to Gibbs, receiving a hug and a lingering kiss. They were both panting slightly when they pulled away and Rachel chuckled.

"You should let her watch you make out. If that doesn't convince her, nothing will."

"We'll take that under advisement.." Gibbs swooped in for another kiss before stepping away. "I'll let the two of you talk." Giving her a careful look, he headed for the basement to give them at least the illusion of privacy. Rachel knew that one yell from Tim would have him back up the stairs in a second.

They sat at the table, Rachel watching how he moved. "Is it that you're not hiding it anymore, or have you really gotten that big?"

"A little bit of both, I guess. I'm not wearing this out in public, but I'm not going to hide myself at home. Jethro and I are going to be parents and we deserve to enjoy every moment of it. That includes watching my expanding waistline."

"You seem much more confident today than I would have expected after what happened earlier."

"Jethro and I had a good talk." Tim saw the look she was giving him. "Hey, when it's important to him, he talks and this was important to him. He told me things about himself that he's never told anyone. That, more than anything, told me everything I needed to know."

Rachel was curious as hell, but it wasn't her place to ask. Instead, she came up with another question. "So, what happens now?"

"We live our lives and get ready for our son to arrive. We're moving upstairs, you know."

She did know that, they'd discussed it during several sessions. "Any timetable on that?"

Tim smiled as he remembered the night before. "Trevor was here and brought his husband, he's a designer."

Rachel couldn't help her quick glance around the simple home. "Gibbs agreed to a designer? I figured you'd end up just buying a bed and calling it good."

"Jethro is building us a bed." Tim's whole face lit up as he told her that. She wasn't quite sure the significance of that. He recognized her confusion and filled her in. "He built a bed for Shannon."

"And not for any of the ex-wives?"

"Nope."

-NCIS-

Finished upstairs with Tim, Rachel went down the basement steps to see Gibbs. True to Tim's words, Gibbs had several sketches laid out on his workbench, fine-tuning what appeared to be the most recent versions.

"So, you really are going to build a bed. How long is that going to take?"

Gibbs gave the designs a half smile before looking up at her. "Well, my woodworking skills have improved since the last time I built one."

Rachel perched on one of the sawhorses. "You really didn't do this for any of the ex-wives?"

"Nope, and it'll take as long as it need to. I'm building something we're going to spend the rest of our lives on."

That was wonderful to hear, but it didn't solve the problem that had started them down this path. "You two going to stay in the guest room until you finish? That project doesn't sound quick."

Gibbs hitched one hip up on the sawhorse across from her. "Monday, while we're at the Yard, Chris is sending a crew over here to refresh the hardwood floor. It'll dry overnight and then they'll paint the walls on Tuesday morning, move in the mattress and box springs that afternoon. We'll use one of those simple metal frames to make it high enough for now. When Tim's closer to term and in the hospital, we'll do the rest."

"What's left, other than the bed?"

After a quick glance at the stairs, Gibbs leaned close. "We're raising the roof on the back side and adding a master bath and an upstairs guest room. Then we're turning the downstairs bedroom into an office for Tim." With a sly grin he pulled a sketch Chris had left him out of a stack of wood.

Rachel looked at the drawing in amazement. The bedroom upstairs would be turned into a full master suite with a large, private bathroom and a walk in closet in addition to a cozy area for a loveseat. "Wow, does he know?"

"Nope." Gibbs took back the paper and returned it to its hiding spot. "It's a surprise."

It was hard not to laugh in sheer joy at the fact that Gibbs really got it, was actually willing to totally uproot his staid existence, trapped in the memories of the past, to build a full partnership and future with Tim. "Your secret's safe with me. He'll love it."

-NCIS-

A commotion in the outer office had Ryan on her feet before the door burst open and Vance stormed in with several agents in tow. "What is the meaning of this?

"Samantha Ryan, you're under arrest." Vance nodded to one of the agents who came around the desk and grabbed her arms.

"You can't be serious." She fought the handcuffs, but Vance had picked one of his physically strongest agents for that particular tasks and all her struggles got her were the cuffs placed even tighter. "Do you know who I am?

"Yeah, you're the woman that used government resources to carry out a personal vendetta against someone under my personal protection."

She looked up to find Secretary of the Navy Jarvis leaning against her office door, looking very unhappy. "Clayton, it's not what you think. I was just protecting an asset. Gibbs is too valuable..."

Remembering all the problems she'd caused for several of his friends at the War College, Vance got in her face. "Too valuable for what, Sam? Too valuable to be happy? Too valuable to have a life outside work? Or too valuable to be with anyone else. Yes, I think you believe he is somehow obligated to you just because he intrigues you." Vance glared at her before stepping back to allow her to be taken away.

As she was being ushered out, a team from legal came in and she looked at them in alarm. "What are they doing here? I have operational files of the utmost importance in here, records that are beyond top secret." They hesitated, but the SecNav nodded to them to continue before he turned to Ryan.

"May I remind you that in the last twelve hours one of your men was arrested for his involvement in a murder using your department's resources. Added to the fact that you were also using your department's resources to stalk, threaten and potentially harm an innocent man solely because he has what you've decided you want – well, that makes me wonder what else you've been up to. Just what else you've done and then used the claim of national security to cover up. You are hereby relieved of duty pending a full investigation and legal inquiry. I suggest you get a good lawyer, Samantha. You're going to need one." Giving her a hard look, Jarvis stepped back and allowed her to be taken away.

She was still yelling and claiming to know secrets that would bury them both as the elevator doors closed. Standing next to Vance, Jarvis shook his head. "Hell of a mess."

"Yes, sir. Appreciate the support on this."

Jarvis looked back at the elevator. "She's good at what she does, but it's too much of a game for her. She's lost touch with what's important."

Vance thought she was just a power-hungry bitch, but he knew this wasn't the time to argue.

-NCIS-

Gibbs offered to walk Rachel out and they met Trevor coming up the walkway with Cassie. She pointed to Trevor and smiled. "Him, I remember."

"Yep, he's good." Remembering Tim's insistence earlier, Gibbs turned to Cassie. "We'll put together a file of photos for everyone that would have a legitimate reason for coming here. We're all at fault for not anticipating something like what happened earlier."

"Appreciate that Gibbs, and thank you."

Having fulfilled his promise to Tim, Gibbs looked closer at Trevor and the large basket shaped package he was carrying. Trevor smiled at the curious look. "Chris is meeting a client, otherwise he'd be here with me. This is from the two of us for you and Tim."

"Well, come on in." Gibbs led him back to the house, calling out as he opened the door. "Tim, Trevor's here."

Tim met them in the living room and the three men sat down, Trevor handing the gift to Tim to open. "This is to get the two of you started. I know you were ordering books on the more physical aspects, so this is more about the fun plus a few books that we thought would help in the long run."

"Oh, wow, thank you so much." With a shy smile, Tim carefully opened the package. Instead of paper, it was covered in stiff cellophane, but it was colored to hide what was inside. What he discovered was a gift basket designed to look like a flower arrangement, but instead of flowers, there were sprays of condom wrappers, tubes of various lubes and assorted sex toys. Tucked against the back of the basket were several books and a stack of what looked like trading cards, each showing a different sex position.

Trevor laughed at the combined intrigued and embarrassed look that was on both of their faces. "When he was less experienced, especially, Chris loved the tush teaser. I think we've got through four or five of those over the years. Myself, I usually prefer something a little more substantial."

The looks were becoming a little more heated and he decided it was time to go. "Well, have fun, you two, and we'll see you on Monday."


	45. Chapter 45

Gibbs walked their latest guest out and watched him leave before turning to Cassie. "It's been a stressful day for Tim and I want him to lay down for a while. No visitors, no interruptions. Make sure the next shift knows that, too."

"Of course, Gibbs." She started to apologize again, but he'd already turned back to the house.

Back inside, Gibbs locked the door handle, then the deadbolt before resetting the alarm. Tim and the gift basket were gone from the living room so Gibbs double checked the back door before walking to the bedroom.

Tim was in the bedroom, sorting through the basket. He held up a foil square, familiar but thicker than normal. "This is waiting until junior is born and old enough to spend the night with Grandpa."

Squinting at the fine print, Gibbs took the small package and tried to make out what it said. "I must need my glasses because I think this says musical condom."

"Your eyes are fine."

Gibbs stared at it for a few more minutes. "Actually that will wait until we're stuck in some motel room with Tony next door." Tim burst out laughing.

"Oh, you are so bad."

Gibbs was still staring at the wrapped condom. "So, what song does it play?"

This time Tim took it away from him and dropped it back inside the basket. "A variety. It changes depending on your speed and angle."

"Science is a wonderful thing, Timmy." Gibbs kept a straight face for about two seconds before he cracked up and shook his head. "How many of those did they give us?"

"Just the one. Everything else is totally usable."

"Yeah?" Gibbs leaned in and tugged Tim's shirt off. "Just how usable?"

"Very." Once Tim's shirt had hit the floor, he started unbuttoning Jethro's shirt. "There's three different kinds of lube."

"What's the difference?" Gibbs pushed Tim back on the bed and started working his pants down.

Tim struggled to keep his thoughts straight as a warm hand caressed his groin. "Umm, silicone based for playing and intercourse, water based for using with any silicone toys and a cooling lube for fun. There's a... umm, lube shooter in there, too."

Gibbs peered into the basket, a smirk on his face. "Does that do what I think it does?"

"Yep."

The smirk widened. "You're driving, so what's first on the agenda?"

"A shower."

Appreciating Tim's desire to be spotlessly clean for him and enjoying a wet, naked Tim, Gibbs stood and undid his own pants before helping Tim to his feet. It was a comfortable silence as they walked upstairs hand in hand to the main bathroom. Even though they were taking a shower and not soaking in the tub, the extra space was appreciated.

By now Gibbs knew exactly how Tim liked the water and he quickly got it set to the right temperature before guiding him into the tub. In his head he knew that Tim was perfectly capable of climbing over the edge of the tub, but to Gibbs there was something very primal about taking care of him like that.

Tim purred as the hot water hit his back and Gibbs leaned close, making sure not to block the stream at all. "Let me wash you, all right? Every inch of you."

Gibbs' lips were just brushing Tim's neck and he tilted his head to give him full access. Gibbs obliged willingly, smiling at how Tim's moans increased as he sucked on the tender flesh.

Moving Tim out of the direct spray of the water, Gibbs poured some shower gel into his hand and got to work, rubbing Tim's neck and shoulders before working his way down to his chest. Cupping the skin around his nipples, Gibbs could feel the thickening tissue under the skin even more than the last time they'd showered together.

He rolled the nipples in his fingers, chuckling at the throaty moan. "I believe I promised to see if I could make you come that way. I'll make sure we try that this weekend."

Tim groaned and tried to rub his ass against Jethro's cock. "You're killing me."

"Nah. I want you relaxed enough and aroused enough that my fingers are going to slide right into your body with no pain." That stated, he started working his hands down Tim's body, one down the front and one down the back until eventually his fingers were circling around Tim's balls and his entrance.

"Oh, fuck."

"You like that?" Gibbs was deliberately avoiding Tim's dick, not wanting to let him tip over the edge quite yet.

"More."

"Yeah?" Gibbs continued to wash him with one hand, leaving the other hand between Tim's legs to explore but stroking across his entrance every few seconds.

Tim was starting to tremble and Gibbs wanted him safely laying down before they went much further. "Gonna get us rinsed off and in bed, okay."

Once they were dry and had returned to the bedroom, Gibbs led Tim to the bed and helped him lay down, placing pillows so he'd be comfortable as they explored each other. Tim smiled softly at him and spread his legs, letting his knees roll outwards.

"We'll take it slow, don't want anything to hurt you."

Tim knew that Jethro would be cautious with him and wouldn't go too far without the books that would arrive tomorrow. "Fingers tonight, right? It shouldn't take too long to get used to that."

"Not going to rush." Gibbs settled between Tim's legs, kissing the insides of his knees and working his way up. "Pleasure first."

The contents of the basket were still on the other side of the bed and after pulling on a glove, Gibbs chose the silicone lube to start with, Dribbling some on his fingers, he continued to circle around Tim's hole before stroking across it. He watched the skin twitch and added more lube before sliding one finger inside.

Tim hissed and Gibbs froze for a moment before realizing it was a sound of pleasure and not pain. Remembering what Patricia had said about the artificial womb constantly stimulating the nerves, he slowly eased in until he was in as far as he could go with just one finger. Right now he wasn't trying to prepare Tim to take his cock, he wanted him to first experience as much pleasure as possible without any pain. Even through the latex he could feel the heat of Tim's body as he stroked his finger deeply in and then almost back out, until just the tip of his index finger was inside.

After a dozen or more times, Gibbs started paying more attention to the feel of Tim's body. Pretty sure that the bump he was feeling was Tim's prostate he turned his hand enough to rub at it as he worked.

"Oh!" Tim's body arched and Gibbs did it again, bending down to suck on his balls at the same time. That was an even bigger hit. He kept his touch light, letting the pleasure slowly build before adding his thumb, pressing from the outside.

By now Tim was keening, his head thrashing and Jethro encouraged him. "That's it, Tim, come for me." A few more strokes and he did just that, climaxing without ever having his shaft touched.

Jethro licked his lips at the sight of the pearly fluid streaked across Tim's swollen belly. Without removing his finger from Tim's ass he bent down and licked him clean. By the time he was done, Tim was half hard again. He raised up on his left elbow as his right hand continued to slowly stroke. "Like that?"

"Good, so good."

"I'm glad." Gibbs shifted enough that he could kiss Tim, letting him taste himself on Gibbs' lips. "What was it like?"

Tim thought about it for a moment. "You know how, when you come, you feel it starting in the base of your penis?"

"Yeah."

"Imagine that all over and lasting a lot longer."

"Damn."

-NCIS-

One finger still inside him, Gibbs watched Tim, enjoying the pleasure he saw on his face. "You're starting to taste different."

"Really?" Tim thought about it for a moment. "No coffee, lots of fresh fruit. That would do it." He shifted around a bit, pushing against Jethro's hand, who took the hint.

"Ready for more?"

"Yes."

Gibbs raised up as he eased his finger out and coated it and one more with fresh lube. He watched carefully as he slowly worked the two fingers in, but Tim didn't seem to be in any discomfort. "How's that?"

"Oh, yeah." Tim spread his legs even more, pressing his thigh against Jethro's leaking cock. Enjoying that, Jethro rocked against him as he started to suck on Tim's nipples. "Oh, yes."

Jethro just hummed a response, enjoying when Tim shuddered in reaction. He kept it up – two fingers deep inside Tim, stroking his prostate, while he sucked and licked Tim's chest and rolled his nipple between his lips.

It didn't take long before Tim was shuddering his way through another climax with Gibbs following a few seconds later. Pulling back slightly, he smiled down at Tim, marveling at how he looked. Flushed and panting, his belly streaked with fluid from both of them, Gibbs' reaction was primal.

"Mine." He ran his fingers through the semen trails, circling them until they were mixed before bringing his fingers up to his mouth.

Gibbs could have stayed like that all night, but eventually he got up to wash and brought back a warm washcloth from the bathroom. Tim was starting to doze by the time he had them cleaned up, so Gibbs quietly sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the two books Chris and Trevor had given them.

Trevor had mentioned that they were good information for the long run and Gibbs immediately saw why with the first book on financial and estate planning for alternative couples. He knew that was something he and Tim needed to discuss. That bank accounts needed to be dealt with and wills updated. He also needed to put Tim's name on the deed to the house and make whatever changes were necessary to protect his new family if something were to happen to him. The logical corner of Gibbs' mind also reminded him that they needed to make sure plans were in place in the event that something happened to Tim, especially since soon he would be the longest surviving recipient on the artificial womb, but that big, frightening elephant in the room was something that Gibbs wasn't ready to deal with yet.

Instead, he turned his attention to the second book. This one was a collections of essays; gay and bisexual men discussing what it meant to them to be the top or bottom in a relationship. Realizing the gentle nudge towards thinking about such things would be something Rachel would approve of, Gibbs sat on the bed, leaning against the pillows propped up against the headboard. Tim snuggled against him without waking up and Gibbs settled in to read.

-NCIS-

It was getting dark outside when Tim started to stir and Gibbs put the book down. "Have a nice nap?"

"Mmm, yeah, but now I'm hungry. Tim's head was resting on Jethro's hip and he turned slightly to kiss him, finding a spot of skin right above the waistband of his boxers. "What are you reading?"

Gibbs picked the book back up and tilted it enough for Tim to read the cover without lifting his head. "I think it was a subtle hint to not get wrapping up in preconceived notions about topping and bottoming, but it's actually a good read."

"Yeah?"

Gibbs set it down again and trailed his fingers down Tim's arm and across his belly. "So, what are the two of you in the mood for?"

Tim only had to think about it for a second. "Breakfast for dinner."

A carton of eggs were in the refrigerator along with a package of bacon. "Okay, that's easy."

"With some more of that lasagna."

That got a raised eyebrow. "Okay..."

"And garlic bread."

Gibbs was beginning to suspect that Tim was pulling his leg. "How about some of that spaghetti sauce over your eggs?"

"Oh, that sounds good." Tim rolled out of bed, pulling on his stretchy pants before he stood. "I'll start warming up the sauce."

-NCIS-

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Tim was happily scarfing down two fried eggs over a pile of lasagna noodles, the lasagna sauce and the spaghetti sauce mixing together. Gibbs just shook his head and handed over the bacon and garlic bread. "I'm almost scared to ask what you want to drink."

"Milk is fine, Jethro." Tim smiled at the relieved look on Gibbs' face, before he caused it to be wiped away. "Do we have any chocolate syrup?"

"No." Gibbs stared at him for a moment before dropping his head and making a phone call. "Hey, Dorneget, bring some chocolate syrup when you come for your shift."


	46. Chapter 46

Leroy Jethro Gibbs doesn't drink chocolate milk, but he did lick some chocolate off his finger last night. This morning he woke remembering the rainy Saturday mornings that his mother would surprise him with pancakes drizzled in chocolate syrup. It was a Wednesday, but they didn't have to be anywhere, so he tucked the blankets around Tim's shoulders as he climbed out of bed.

"Jethro?"

"Shh, go back to sleep. I'll fix breakfast and bring it to you."

"Breakfast?"

Gibbs smiled as Tim snuggled down in the warm spot without ever opening his eyes. "Yeah, gonna introduce you to my mom's favorite breakfast."

Seeing that Tim was going back to sleep, Gibbs pulled on a pair of sweatpants and went into the kitchen. He'd added a box of pancake mix to one of the shopping lists earlier and today seemed like a perfect day for it. Humming as he worked, Gibbs remembered doing this for his girls, the knowledge that he was getting a second chance almost taking his breath away.

-NCIS-

In the bedroom, Tim listened, never fully going back to sleep. Gibbs was humming and whistling as he worked, but Tim heard him stutter a few times. He could smell the melting butter and the scent of fresh pancakes wafted in a few minutes later. When the door opened, Tim was sitting up with a smile on his face.

He waited until Gibbs was sitting next to him, each balancing a plate filled with pancakes, drizzled with chocolate syrup. Before taking a bite, Tim reached up and touched Jethro's face. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Gibbs stroked his hand down Tim's face before resting it on his stomach. "Sometimes it's just so amazing that it just...

Tim knew that Shannon and Kelly were never far from his mind. "We're okay, really, and we're eating Grandma Anne's favorite breakfast."

That got a smile, so Tim kept going. "Tell me about her."

Sitting up on the bed next to Tim, Gibbs started telling about the spirited woman that had shaped his childhood and whose death nearly shattered him.

-NCIS-

Breakfast finished and dishes set aside, Tim was curled up against Gibbs, enjoying the hand that absently stroked his bump as they reviewed holiday plans. "You sure Jackson is okay being by himself for Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah, he's helping the new shop owners get up to speed and having one last holiday meal with his friends up there. If everything goes according to plan, he'll be ready to move down here in just a few more weeks."

"It'll be nice to have him here in time for Christmas."

"Sure will." Gibbs thought about it for a moment. "Chris suggested that we put a fresh coat of paint on the walls before he moved in. He's probably right."

"If nothing else, it's quicker to do it before the furniture arrives. The painters Chris is bringing over to do our upstairs can probably get it done in a day."

Gibbs really liked the sound of 'our'. "True, but I can do it myself over a couple of nights, save some money."

"We've got the money, and I can think of something better to do in the evenings." Tim trailed a hand down Gibbs' body to cup his groin. "Lots better."

Liking the sound of that, Gibbs shifted onto his side and started working his hand under the waistband of Tim's pants before they heard the front door open. The guard called out from the entry.

"Agent McGee? There's several packages here for you."

They both knew what was in those boxes and Gibbs gave Tim a quick peck on the cheek before rolling off the bed. "I'll be right there."

When Gibbs returned to the bedroom with the boxes, Tim was sitting up, ready for them. Gibbs handed him two of the packages, a box and a large padded envelope, keeping the heavy one from Amazon for himself. He'd just sliced the tape open on the box of books when Tim ripped open the envelope and pulled out the contents. The assorted fabrics immediately caught Gibbs' attention.

"Is that..."

Tim held up one of the garments, a sheer black bikini just barely large enough to cover what it was supposed to. "You like?"

"Hell, yeah."

Gibbs abandoned his box momentarily to look through what else Tim had. Probably half the stack were similar to the bikini briefs Tim already had, while the rest were much more exotic and erotic in different fabrics and colors. One pair was in a white plastic bag and Gibbs picked it up. On the plastic was printed a note announcing a gift for the new customer. Curious, he tore it open to find another pair of sheer black bikini briefs, this pair trimmed with lace at the waist. "You going to model a pair for me?"

There was something in Jethro's voice and Tim took the pair he was holding. "Oh, yeah."

"Good, I'll be right back." Adjusting himself as he stood, Gibbs slipped a pair of shoes on before leaving the room. Tim listened closely, wondering what he was up to, and heard his footsteps going down to the basement and then a few minutes later back up and continuing up the stairs to the second floor.

Curious, Tim slipped into the tiny briefs and was standing there when Jethro returned a few minutes later with the full length mirror he'd removed from the upstairs bathroom. The heated look on Jethro's face went straight through him and by the time the mirror was propped up against the wall, the head of Tim's penis was poking out above the lacy waistband.

Years ago Jethro Gibbs' first sexual encounter had been with a young man wearing silky woman's underwear. He hadn't thought about it much over the years, not until recently. Now, seeing Tim in the tiny briefs he was wearing, his pregnant belly bulging, was bringing back every teenage fantasy he'd buried over the years. He turned and looked, instantly hard at the sight of the lace just under the crown of Tim's hard cock.

"Come here." Gibbs tugged Tim over in front of him, to stand where he could see himself in the mirror. Tilted back, leaning against the wall, the mirror gave them both a perfect view. "So beautiful."

Tim might have thought Gibbs was talking about his stomach, but the strong hands reached down and cupped him much lower. He watched in the mirror as Gibbs ran his fingers slowly up Tim's cock. Groaning softly, he reached back, pulling Gibbs tight against him, feeling the hard shaft rubbing against his ass. "You like that, Jethro?"

Gibbs gave a growl as he nipped at Tim's ear. "You're never going back to boxers again."

"Never?"

"Never. Thirty years from now, when I'm hobbling around with a cane, that's still going to turn me on."

"Yeah?" Tim looked at Gibbs in the mirror, enjoying the hungry look on his face. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

Grinning, Gibbs let his fingers explore the hard flesh, circling around the head of Tim's cock. "What do you want me to do about it?" He turned his face so that his lips were brushing against Tim's ear. "Tell me exactly what you want, Timmy."

Tim was finding it very hard to think. "Your mouth... your mouth on me and your cock inside me."

"Fingers and maybe a toy today. Not going to rush it, not going to risk hurting you." Gibbs turned Tim so that he was facing him. "The first time we fully make love, we'll be upstairs in our bedroom, okay?"

With a soft smile, Tim leaned forward and kissed Jethro, knowing instinctively what the other man meant. Playing aside, he would be giving Jethro his anal virginity and his lover wanted to not only make it special, but for it to happen in a special place, too. "Okay."

Now that they were in agreement, Gibbs walked Tim backwards until his legs bumped the bed, then tenderly eased him down on the mattress. At first, he just took a good look. The semi-sheer fabric was clingy and left nothing to the imagination and Gibbs bent closer to mouth at Tim's balls through the cloth. When Tim shuddered, Gibbs shifted enough to suck the head of his cock into his mouth, circling his tongue around to get every drop of the leaking fluid.

"Yes." Tim rolled his hips up and Gibbs helped him position his legs, his knees pulled up and out to expose himself fully.

Gibbs took a moment to just look. The free pair Tim had gotten were actually more of a thong than a bikini, with a narrow strap connecting the tiny pouch to the waistband in back, leaving his ass cheeks totally exposed. Smiling, he trailed his fingertips alongside the strap, his smile widening when his fingers brushed Tim's hole and he shuddered. Moving the strap just a half inch to the side totally exposed his target and Gibbs' grin turned wicked. "I won't even have to get you totally naked to screw you when you're wearing these."

"Yeah? You going to try it now?" Despite Gibbs' earlier statement, Tim teased him a bit.

Gibbs knew exactly what he was doing. "Nope, but I think you're ready for one of those toys." The basket was on the nightstand and he picked the smallest of the toys to try. Removing it from it's package, he headed out to the bathroom to wash it, using the privacy to quickly install the batteries and check how it worked.

When Gibbs returned to the bedroom, Tim had shifted so that he was laying on the bed the right way, legs splayed, hands supporting his knees. "Somebody's impatient."

No words were spoken but the upraised eyebrow said it all. Gibbs picked up the water based lube that had been placed on the bed for him and coated several fingers. Now that they both knew more about what they were doing, it didn't take long before Tim was ready for the next step. Smiling, Gibbs added additional lube to Tim's hole and a heavy coat of it on the toy. Watching Tim's face closely for any signs of discomfort, he slowly eased the toy inside him. It was a small dildo, probably a little smaller than the two fingers he'd been using, so the toy slid in easy. "Don't touch yourself, you're getting the full package."

There was only love and pleasure on Tim's flushed face, so Gibbs started working the toy in and out of his ass, making sure to rub across his prostate each time. It was a little harder without being able to feel for the small bump, but the little gasp with each stroke told him almost as much. A puddle of pre-come was on Tim's lower belly, running down his sides, and his head was thrashing back and forth when Gibbs decided it was time. Without warning, he thumbed on the vibrator.

"Oh!" Tim's fingers had been tangled in the sheets, but now they tightened enough to pull the fitted sheet loose from the mattress as his back arched.

"That's it, babe, come for me." Leaning forward for a searing kiss, Gibbs kept the toy right against Tim's prostate. As they kissed, Tim let go of the sheets to grab a hold of Jethro, pulling him close and tugging at his sweatpants.

Raising up just enough to help pull down his pants, Gibbs shifted enough so that he could thrust his cock against Tim's. It was awkward, but between the sounds Tim was making and the feel of the silky fabric he knew he wasn't going to last long. He gave one last twist to the vibrating toy which tipped Tim over the edge. Satin on one side of his dick, Tim's come flowing over the other side, Jethro was only seconds behind him.

It took a bit, but eventually Gibbs was able to raise up enough to turn off the toy and ease it out of Tim's passage. He looked carefully and there was no sight of blood, but he wanted to make sure. "You okay?"

Looking sated and content, Tim hummed his answer as he nodded his head, then he started to laugh softly. It was not the response Gibbs was expecting.

"What?"

Tim shook his head as he continued to laugh. "If every straight man in the world experienced that, there would be a lot of unhappy, lonely women."

"Yeah?" He liked the look on Tim's face and loved the fact that he'd put it there. "So, you wouldn't mind doing that again?"

"Mind isn't the exact word I'd use. Do we have enough batteries?"

"I suppose I can get more."

Tim smiled, enjoying the finger that was tracing his dick and balls through the now soaking fabric. "You know, we can set up a subscription with Amazon. Decide on an amount and they'll send it to us, regular as clockwork."

"Really? That would save time." Gibbs leaned forward and lazily kissed Tim as he continued to enjoy the feel of working Tim's balls in the slickness of the wet cloth. He pulled back to take another look. There was something very primal about seeing his and Tim's semen mixing together and oozing through the delicate fabric. "How many pairs did you buy?"

Tim was still floating on a sea of endorphins. "Only want to do laundry once a week, so ten."

Gibbs wanted to tear that pair off of him and start again. "Buy more."


	47. Chapter 47

a/n - Two chapters this week, you ready?

* * *

><p>"We could stay home, you know." Gibbs shrugged and ran his fingers down the sleeve of the shirt Tim was buttoning. "I mean, wouldn't you be more comfortable?"<p>

"A couple of hours dressed up won't kill me. Besides, if we don't show up, they'll just track us down." Forgoing his jacket for now, Tim turned to look at him. "What's going on?"

"I guess I'm tired of seeing you have to hide."

Tim thought about what Gibbs was saying. He didn't have to hide from his friends, but he wasn't comfortable driving over there wearing something that showed his shape. "Ducky's put a lot of effort into this dinner, but we'll have Christmas here this year."

Gibbs knew that was a good compromise, even if he wasn't terribly excited about going out. "All right, but if you start to get too tired, you let me know."

"I've barely been out of bed for the last thirty-six hours, how could dinner make me tired?" Smiling to lessen the sting, Tim leaned closer and nipped at his lips. "But I might get horny."

"Oh, yeah?" Gibbs liked the sound of that. "What happens then?"

"Then you'll get to discover for yourself which pair of underwear I'm wearing under this suit."

-NCIS-

"Are you and Dad getting a divorce?"

Jackie almost dropped the turkey as she moved it onto the counter. "What? Jared, whatever gave you that idea?"

Jared scuffed his shoe on the floor and shrugged. "Ever since Dad and those other men were kidnapped, things have been weird. I mean, you cried more after he was rescued than when he was missing and..."

"And we're not babies. We want to know what's going on." The oldest of the two Vance children, Kayla 'Lily' Vance had the stubborn expression on her face that was so familiar on Leon's. Jackie sighed and pulled off her oven mitts, not knowing how to answer their questions. She looked up at her husband, who was standing in the doorway.

Leon nodded at her before he spoke. "Let me make a phone call first."

After he vanished into his study, Lily opened her mouth to object, but Jackie stopped her. "Remember, your father was not the only kidnapping victim. It's not just his story to tell. How about you help me mash the potatoes while we wait?"

If the baby had been Leon's, this family discussion would have happened weeks ago, but now it was a lot more complicated. Once the door was closed behind him, he dialed a familiar number.

_Yeah, Gibbs._

In the background Vance could hear other voices and knew the team was together for their own thanksgiving. He decided to just jump in. "My kids are getting more and more suspicious about everything that's happened. I think it's time to tell them the full truth."

There was silence at the other end and Vance waited. They'd discussed the need to tell the kids when the baby's paternity was unclear, but this was entirely different. Eventually he heard some muffled voices and then a door closing before Gibbs said anything more.

_Okay, Tim and I are alone and I've got you on speaker. What's happened?_

"The kids asked today if Jackie and I are getting a divorce. They saw the stress we were both under after the kidnapping and they can tell there's some pretty big secrets still hanging over us. We've always been truthful with the kids – at least up until now."

_Will they be able to understand that they can't talk about it outside the family?_

Leon understood Tim's concern. "Ever since they were little, we've taught them the difference between the secrets you keep to protect someone and the secrets you tell, also to protect someone. They'll understand that it would be dangerous for this to get out. If the baby had been mine, Jackie and I both would have wanted to be involved every step of the way, but it is your decision." Another silence and Vance could just imagine the questions they would have for him, for each other. Eventually, Gibbs came back on the line.

_How do you want to do this?_

It would be a fine line to walk, Vance was already well aware. Enough information to settle the kids fears, but vague enough to protect McGee until the kids came to terms with the idea of a man being pregnant. "I'd like to tell them the basics of what happened, without names. Then, after they've had a chance to accept that much, we'll answer their questions and when they're ready, have the two of you come over for dinner one night. How fast all that will happen will be determined by how easily they accept it all. The fact that they know the two of you will probably make it easier for them to understand how important it is to protect Tim and the baby."

_That'll work. Just let us know when you're ready for us._

Vance smiled as he disconnected the call. Tim's confidence in his handling of it was a welcome relief even if he could understand Gibbs' worry. Game plan established, he went back to the kitchen where Jackie had them busy. He gave her a nod and cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Let's go sit down, guys."

In the living room, Vance sat in his favorite chair and Jackie sat on the arm of the chair, her hand resting on his shoulder to give him support. Scared of the possible answers, Jared and Lily sat next to each other on the sofa.

"I know it must have been very scary when I was missing. Then even after I was found, your mom and I were pretty worried about what else was happening."

"Because one of your agents was still missing?"

The hand on his shoulder was a welcome comfort. "Yes, because he was still missing and because we knew by then why we'd been taken."

"The terrorists had given you their demands?"

It was a good guess on Jared's part, but not even close. First he needed to remind them of a familiar lesson. "You guys remember about state secrets? That what gets discussed here about national security issues can never be mentioned outside of the family and the Agency?"

"We remember, Dad."

"Okay, the group that took us wasn't a terrorist group, at least not in the normal sense of the word. It was run by a medical researcher that was conducting experiments that weren't approved of. He got caught and was supposed to stop."

"But he didn't."

"No, Lily, he didn't." Vance waited and watched as the kids absorbed what he'd told them so far. Lily had her father's temperament, but Jared had his analytical mind.

"They kidnapped a whole bunch of men, but only kept one. He was looking for something specific, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was, son, even though he took samples from each of us."

"That's why he kept Agent McGee, because he was experimenting on him?"

Vance froze for a split second, not having realized that his kids knew the identity of the other kidnapping victims. "Yes. Yes, he was." He took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "This researcher was developing an artificial womb and for whatever reasons which are only known to him, he chose to forcibly test the device on men."

Both of their children stared at him, but Lily responded first. "He tried to make Agent McGee pregnant? That's not even possible, is it?"

"Apparently it is."

"No way!"

"He's..." Lily's eyes got huge as she put the pieces together. "Are we going to have a little brother or sister?"

"No. They took samples from each of us, but it wasn't my sample that was used in the end." Vance looked up at his wife, who gave him an encouraging smile and cut in.

"We didn't know at first which of the men was the biological father of the baby. It was stressful, but your father and I are fine."

Jared didn't look convinced. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Jackie shifted and wrapped her arm around Leon's neck as she leaned closer. "If the embryo they had created with your father's DNA had survived, I would have accepted it and Tim into our family, and even though that baby isn't your father's we are going to help and support Tim as much as he needs. I want that to include all of us."

"So, Dad didn't actually cheat on you?"

"No, Sweetheart, he didn't. Your father was unconscious when they took a sample from his body. He was still unconscious when they dumped him in an abandoned warehouse."

"Wow. So he's really going to have a baby?"

"Yes, he is." They waited for the next question.

Lily thought about a friend from school whose sister just had a baby. "Is he going to keep it? I mean, a lot of people probably wouldn't approve."

"You're right, a lot of people wouldn't understand and some of them might cause him trouble. Now, do you understand why this has to remain a secret?"

The two kids looked at each other before Lily answered for both of them. "Yeah, we get it, Mom. Is it okay that we're glad Dad's not the father?"

"It's okay, honey. I was relieved, too, and a little sad."

"You wanted it to be Dad's?" Jared looked a little offended by the idea.

Vance chuckled and kissed Jackie's hand. "In the big picture, everything worked out for the best. The baby's father is someone that Tim loves and they're going to build a life together, but your mom was looking forward to baby cuddles and first steps again." He looked carefully at his two children. "Which is why your mother and I want to be able to support Tim and Jethro and their little baby boy every step of the way. If that little boy survives, he's going to grow up calling us Aunt Jackie and Uncle Leon and I hope that he'll have two loving cousins that are going to help spoil him rotten."

-NCIS-

In Ducky's study, Gibbs gave Tim a careful look. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. Just never really thought about how this would have affected them."

Standing behind Tim, Gibbs wrapped his arms under Tim's belly, lifting just enough to help support the weight of the baby. "Leon and Jackie are good people and they understand that they weren't what you've worried about lately."

"I know." Tim sighed and looked at the time. "Ducky should have an oven free about now."

"You can just sit back and relax. No one will think badly if you don't contribute to the dinner. Besides, I brought rolls."

Tim could see Jethro's hopeful look reflected in the glass bookcase. "I only brought half the cheese with me. You get a whole pan to yourself tomorrow" He almost laughed at the grin that broke out on Gibbs' face.

Realizing that he'd get to show off his new favorite dish tonight and still have plenty for tomorrow, Gibbs playfully slapped at Tim's ass. "Well then, what are you waiting for?"

-NCIS-

"You're my lawyer, Harold. Tell me exactly why I'm sitting in a jail cell over Thanksgiving when I've practically put your kids through college?"

"I'm sorry, Samantha. Unfortunately, you've pissed off the wrong people this time. I suggest you cool your heels and look at the bigger picture."

"And what, exactly, is that, Harold?"

"Avoiding treason charges, Samantha. Gitmo isn't exactly pleasant this time of year."

"They wouldn't dare."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that if I were you. The SecNav and the Secretary of Defense have been in meetings at the White House twice since your arrest. I don't think they were there to help decorate the trees."

"Shit."

-NCIS-

"What is that?" Tony leaned closer and took a sniff. When McGee had dropped the basket of bread chunks on the table, Tony had been expecting a spinach dip. After all, the local market had it on sale for only $2.99 a pound. He would have bought some himself, but he'd already been assigned the job of bringing a bean salad which had been on sale for $2.49 so he thought he'd come out ahead. Now McGee was setting down a hot skillet filled with some sort of cheese dish that was bubbling hot and smelled like garlic.

The rest of the team was gathering around, attracted by Tony's question. Ducky and Abby looked intrigued while Ziva looked like she was taking mental notes. Behind all of them, Gibbs was watching, a proud look on his face.

"Appetizer. You scoop up some of the cheese with a piece of bread." Tim demonstrated, blowing on the cheese to cool it before biting down.

Cautiously, Tony followed suit, scooping up just a tiny amount to try. His eyes went wide at the taste and he aimed his piece of bread back at the skillet.

"No double dipping, DiNozzo." Gibbs' comment stopped Tony and he popped the remainder of the bread in his mouth and picked up two more pieces of bread, one in each hand. Gibbs was even closer now and his hand made contact with the back of Tony's head. "Not that kind of double dip either."

Tim laughed at that and got his own second piece before moving out of the way as the rest of the team moved in.

-NCIS-

The kids had been quiet as the four of them sat down to dinner, but neither Jackie nor Leon had been surprised at that. After all, they'd had a pretty big bombshell dropped on them and needed time to adjust. Eventually they stopped answering in one word answers and normal conversation resumed.

The topics shifted toward school as the kids talked about the upcoming Math Olympics. Despite her parent's encouragement, Kayla wasn't all that interested, but Jared was. "Agent McGee really helped me get ready for the qualifying round, I wish he could help me for the next round."

Jackie turned and looked at Leon. Although he'd made time to help Jared and Kayla with math quite often, Tim had a way to make it more of a game instead of a lesson.

For his part, Leon had been grateful when Tim stepped in to help one afternoon, and then a little miffed when the kids seemed to have had more fun learning with him instead of their own father. Now that he'd thought about it and looked at what Jared had learned, he realized what a good idea it had been.

"If he's up to it, I'll see about him coming over to help you get ready."

"Then he and Jethro can join us for dinner that night." Jackie smiled at her husband. That had ended up working out better than they'd planned.

-NCIS-

"That was a good dinner. It was nice to have everybody together without working on something."

"Yeah." Gibbs knew that Tim was missing being in the bullpen and working cases with the rest of them. He brushed the back of his knuckles across Tim's cheek when they stopped for a light. "I'm sorry Penny's flight was delayed. It would have been nice to have her here today."

"Can't be helped. She'll be here as soon as she can for a day or two. It's too bad she can't stay longer, but she'll be back again in time for the baby shower."

Gibbs had to shake his head at the idea of the team throwing them a baby shower. They hadn't been at all subtle in their probing for information. "You'd better get a wish list of some sort put together. Otherwise who knows what Junior will end up with."

"True. Tony wants to have us do the baby's room in all scarlet and gray. That's..."

"Ohio State's official colors." Gibbs chuckled at the not so subtle hints they'd been getting all night. "Guess at some point we need to figure out what we're doing in his room."

"Nothing to really figure out. I want to use the shades of blue and green that Shannon used in his blanket and no set theme. When he's old enough to have his own interests, we can add them."

"Yeah?" Gibbs squeezed Tim's hand as he smiled. "That sounds really good."


	48. Chapter 48

"Mmmm, good morning." Gibbs nuzzled against Tim as he started to wake up. "You hungry?"

"Oh, yeah." Tim wrapped his hand around Jethro's dick and started stroking, grinning as he felt it come to life. "Starving." His morning plans came to a halt when his cell phone started to buzz. It was on Gibbs' side of the bed and the older man automatically glanced over at the screen.

"It's your grandmother."

Dropping his head with a sigh, Tim held out his hand. Smirking, Gibbs deposited the phone in his hand before getting up to start the coffee. Ten minutes later he walked back in with a cup of coffee and a glass of juice just as Tim was disconnecting the call. "She get a flight?"

"Landed in DC about a half hour ago. She's already got her luggage and a rental car."

"She's on her way here, isn't she?"

"Yep."

Gibbs had to smile at the lack of enthusiasm in Tim's answer and bent down to kiss him. "Cheer up, I know you're looking forward to seeing her, even if her timing sucks."

"Yeah." Tim gave Gibbs a heated look before downing his orange juice. "And I had such plans for this morning."

Gibbs bent down to kiss him. "At least she's not staying here. I'll get our of your hair for a few hours so she can have you all to herself."

-NCIS-

"Hey Abs."

"Gibbs." Calibrating the Mass Spec, she hadn't heard him come in and jumped when he spoke, then glared when he smirked. "What brings you down to my humble abode? Did we get a case? I thought you guys weren't on call." The Friday after Thanksgiving was usually pretty quiet and she was getting restless.

His good mood eliminated the possible case. "Nope. Who's your tattoo guy? Do I need an appointment?"

"Tattoo? You're getting a tattoo? That's great, Gibbs. I've only been trying to talk you into one for, like, forever. Why'd you change your mind? What are you getting? Can I see the design? Have you..."

He'd pinched her lips closed to get a word in edgewise. "Name? Appointment?" He held on a second longer before he let go.

"Snake, and I'll call him right now." True to her word, she had Gibbs set up with an appointment for later that morning. "Do I get to see the design? Please?"

He gave her that tilt of the head, then pulled out a rolled up strip of paper. She carefully unrolled it, recognizing what it was immediately and guessing on the who. "Is that the baby's heartbeat?"

"Yep." Gibbs took it back and gave the squiggly line a loving look before rolling it back up and returning it to his pocket.

"Oh, Gibbs, that's so sweet."

"It's a surprise, so don't tell him."

She mimed zipping her lips closed and throwing away the key, then asked. "Where does he think you are?"

"His grandmother is visiting, she finally got a flight this morning, so I'm giving them space. Plus I'm picking up a new mattress for the cradle."

-NCIS-

"Sweetheart, I can't believe how well you're doing, and you seem so happy and well-adjusted."

Tim gave his grandmother a patient smile. "I am happy, Penny. I'm with someone that I'm going to have a wonderful life with and we're going to have a baby soon."

Penny wanted to be happy, but she still had her doubts and worries. "Do you love him, Timothy? Better yet, does he love you?"

"Yes, and yes, Penny. I realize that we might not have what other people would consider a conventional relationship, but it works for us."

"If you say so, Sweetie." She'd be a lot happier when she saw a ring on his finger, or some sort of public acknowledgment from Gibbs, but she'd take what she could get.

-NCIS-

It had taken a few hours, but Gibbs was pleased with the outcome. He also had a new found respect for Abby and all of her tattoos. Gibbs would never admit to pain, but the underside of his arm was surprisingly tender. No matter, it was done except for the name and date that would be added later, after the baby arrived.

Getting out of the car, he checked the gauze that was wrapped around his bicep before nodding at the guard and going inside the house. Penny and Tim were in the kitchen, looking at baby supplies on his laptop.

Tim looked up, smiling until he saw what looked like a bandage wrapped around Gibbs' arm. "What happened? Are you hurt?" He stood and when Gibbs came closer, he caught the familiar scents. "Jethro?"

It had been the required time so Gibbs tugged up his sleeve and carefully peeled away the gauze, looking carefully when Tim gasped.

The tattoo was striking in its simplicity. A precise copy of the baby's heartbeat wrapped all the way around Gibbs upper arm in black, a red heart marking the overlap. It was probably the hormones, but Tim felt himself tearing up a bit. "Oh, Jethro."

After a lifetime of never wanting to permanently mark himself, this tattoo felt unbelievably right and Gibbs couldn't help but smile as he looked down at his arm. "After he's here, his name and birth date will go on the heart."

"It's beautiful." Tim's hand hovered, but didn't touch the freshly revealed tattoo. "What made you decide to do it?"

Gibbs reached out and laid his hand on Tim's extended belly. "I can't carry him in my body for you, but I want you to always know that I carry him in my heart. He marks your body every day and now..."

"His mark is on yours." Smiling, Tim's fingers touched the skin right below the tattoo. Behind them, Penny slipped out of the kitchen to give them some privacy. Gibbs wasn't one for public displays, but this one had been a doozy. Just seeing the way Tim's face had lit up told her how much it had meant.

-NCIS-

Ducky had sent leftovers home with Jethro and Tim, enough to make sandwiches for a couple of days. Penny watched as Tim piled an assortment of condiments on his. "That's an interesting combination, dear."

Instead of answering, Tim was staring at the black olives in the Tupperware she was holding. Seeing the look on his face, Gibbs took the bowl from Penny. "You know what Dr. Hughes said, you have to watch your sodium." Tim gave him the look, but Gibbs held firm – sort of. "You can have three."

To lessen the sting of the restriction, Gibbs picked up one olive and hand fed it to Tim, who circled his tongue around Gibbs' finger to get every drop. Penny's eyes widened at the playful display between them. By the third olive, she was pretty sure she'd overstayed her welcome.

"Why don't I visit with Ducky for a few hours. I promised him we'd catch up while I was in town. I'll bring dinner back with me, say around seven?"

"That sounds good, Penny, thanks." Tim was grinning as he took Gibbs' hand and picked up his plate with his free hand. "I should probably eat and then lay down for a while."

She couldn't hide her amusement. "Make sure you get plenty of protein, Timothy."

"Planning on it." He and Jethro were grinning as Tim led them to the bedroom.

Penny took a few moments to put the food back in the refrigerator before leaving. Outside, the guard nodded and joined her as she walked to her car. "Timothy is going to take a nap for a few hours so I'll be back later with dinner for them."

Today's guard was young, somewhat naive and in total awe of the two men. "He needs a lot of rest, this is hard on his body after all."

Later, Penny would brag to Ducky about how she kept a straight face until she was around the corner.

-NCIS-

Gibbs smirked as he was led first to the bathroom where Tim tenderly washed the new tattoo and patted it dry before then leading him to the bedroom.

Once in the bedroom, Tim set his plate on the dresser then pushed Gibbs down on the bed. "Got something in mind, Timmy?"

"Shirt off, first." Grinning, Tim tugged on it, pulling the polo shirt from his waistband and Gibbs quickly shucked it off. Tim smiled as he carefully inspected the freshly washed tattoo. "Did they give you something to put on it?"

"Yeah, this." Gibbs shifted enough to pull a small tube out of his pocket and handed it to Tim who proceeded to gently coat the ointment over the raw skin.

"The better we take care of it, the better it will look once it all heals." Satisfied with the aftercare for the tattoo, Tim started working Jethro's belt free. "Now, I want to take care of something else that got interrupted this morning."

Gibbs helped get rid of his pants, kicking his shoes off in the process, before Tim encouraged him to lift up and lose the boxers. It took some shuffling, but once Gibbs scooted up as far as he could on the bed, Tim could lay on his side, nuzzling his face against Jethro's groin. "Been wanting this all day."

"Oh, fuck." Letting his legs fall open and his head roll back, Gibbs enjoyed the sensation as Tim licked and sucked on his dick. Just as he was getting close to coming, Tim moved down to his balls, sucking one, then the other, into his mouth while his fingers explored that sensitive space between balls and ass. "Oh, yeah. Do it."

To prove his point, Gibbs picked the lube up off the nightstand and tossed it down where Tim could reach it. He would have encouraged it more, but Tim swallowed his cock down almost to the base and started humming. It didn't take long before Gibbs could feel the familiar tingling as his balls pulled up tight. "Gonna come."

Tim scraped a finger across his opening as he increased his sucking, pulling Jethro over the edge with a shout. By the time he could think and speak again, Tim was carefully licking him clean. Once he was finished, Gibbs pulled him up for a kiss. "Damn, you've got a sweet mouth, I wasn't expecting to come that quick, not after the last couple of days."

"You're not that old, Jethro."

"Guess not." Gibbs smiled, then turned serious. "My ass is yours, too. You know that, right? Just because you're too pregnant to take me doesn't mean you can't play with it."

Tim kissed him again. "I know, and I will, but when I do I want to devote all my attention to what I'm doing."

-NCIS-

Okay, I could have sworn that I added the recipe for Tim's cheese appetizer somewhere along the way, but apparently not. It comes from Ina Garten at the Food Network.

Baked Fontina

2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:15 min

Inactive Prep Time: -

Cook Time:6 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Italian Fontina Val d'Aosta cheese, rind removed and 1-inch-diced

1/4 cup good olive oil

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 crusty French baguette

Directions

Preheat the broiler and position the oven rack 5 inches from the heat.

Distribute the cubes of Fontina evenly in a 12-inch cast-iron pan. Drizzle on the olive oil. Combine the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and sprinkle it over the cheese and olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and place the pan under the broiler for 6 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and starts to brown.

Serve the baked Fontina family-style-right out of the oven in the cast-iron pan with crusty chunks of bread for everyone to dip.


	49. Chapter 49

a/n - A nice big chapter today and the next chapter of Paradox tomorrow. It looks like a chapter a day of something al week for you guys. Thanks for all the reviews, you've been amazing.

* * *

><p>He was comfortable and he knew Tim looked comfortable, but they had company arriving in less than an hour, which meant they needed to get up. Even as he thought it, Gibbs was half tempted to call Penny and cancel. It was only the fact that Tim hadn't eaten since the sandwich that got Gibbs moving.<p>

Enjoying the feel of Tim's body pressed against his, Gibbs tilted his face down to kiss Tim's head. "Your grandmother will be back soon."

"What time is it?"

"Little after six."

Tim gave an affirmative grunt, but made no move to get up right away, instead pressing his hand against Gibbs' as they both felt the baby stretching his legs. "Somebody's busy."

"He sure it." They both reveled in the moment before Tim sighed and started to sit up. "Probably should take a shower before she gets here."

Gibbs sat up, too, and gave Tim a helping hand. "Yeah, that makes two of us. Let's shower upstairs where there's more room."

"We only have time to shower."

"We can take a shower without turning it into something else."

-NCIS-

"Sorry, Penny, we're running a little late. Come on in; Tim will be out in a second."

Penny almost cracked up as she looked at Gibbs walking back towards the bedroom, toweling his hair, a swagger to his walk. "I remember those kind of distractions, Jethro."

Gibbs laughed and gave a wave as he went into the bedroom. A few minutes later Tim came out still flushed from his shower or whatever else they'd been up to. She grinned and her eyebrow went up. "Looks like your _nap_ did you a lot of good."

Rolling his eyes as he hugged her, Tim knew exactly what she was suggesting. "Thank you, Penny. I enjoy regular – naps."

Eventually Penny pulled back and took a good look at him. It had only been a few hours since she'd seen him, but she could swear he looked even bigger. Of course it might have something to do with the bulky sweater he was wearing over a pair of dark gray yoga pants. It wasn't the pair she'd bought him, so obviously he found them comfortable enough to buy more.

He not only looked comfortable in his clothes, he looked comfortable in his own skin and that made her smile. "I'm happy for you, Tim, I'm happy for you both."

"Thank you, Penny. As wrong as Dr. Davidson was in what he did, he managed to give me everything I've ever wanted."

While that may be true, she didn't like the forgiveness she heard in his voice as they walked into the dining room, Gibbs behind them. "He's still a monster, Timothy. Men died because of him."

"I know, Penny. He'll be tried and convicted of those murders and a lot more. I'm going to focus on the positives of what came out of his obsession because I don't want this little guy to ever think I regret him."

"When you put it that way..."

"Exactly." Tim kissed her cheek, signaling an end to the conversation. "So, what'd you bring for dinner?"

-NCIS-

Penny enjoyed hearing about her favorite grandson's new life but when he yawned a third time, she knew it was time to go. "Looks like it's someone's bedtime. Besides, I have to be back at the airport first thing in the morning."

Tim really was tired, but he hated to see her leave already. "I wish you could stay longer."

"I know, sweetheart, but I have a faculty banquet tomorrow night that I absolutely can't miss. Don't worry, though. Abby has promised to email me the second they've set a date for your baby shower."

After a hug and kiss for both men and a promise from Gibbs to call her immediately if anything changed, Penny was out the door and Gibbs was steering Tim down the hall. "Come on, let's get you into bed before you fall asleep on your feet."

"This is when I miss coffee, or CafPow! A good tall cup of that and I'd be ready to go for hours."

Gibbs smiled, remembering all the late nights Tim used to pull while they were on a case. "You're tired because your body needs the rest."

"Yeah, I know. What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I've got plenty of reading to do before I'm ready to go to sleep." To prove his point, when Tim finished in the bathroom, Gibbs was sitting on the bed, buried in the _Handbook of Gay Sex_.

-NCIS-

"Good morning, what are you watching?" Tim snuggled up against Gibbs' back and peered over his shoulder. Across the street several of the neighbors were up on ladders hanging Christmas lights. Remembering the elaborate and garish displays from years past, he grinned and shook his head before Gibbs could answer. "I always wondered, is it a joint thing or are they competing with each other?"

Gibbs gave a snort before taking another sip of his coffee. "Definitely a competition. By New Year's Ralph and Eric will be so into it that they won't speak again until Easter."

"Really?"

Gibbs could hear the gears turning in his head. Nope, I'm not putting up five thousand lights and getting in the middle of all that."

Tim smiled, feeling Gibbs' body responding to his lips against the back of his neck. "The best way to beat them at their own game is to change the rules."

"What?" Curious, Gibbs turned to see his smirking face. "Okay, what have you got in mind?"

"I'll show you." Taking his hand, Tim tugged him over to where his laptop was plugged in. "Penny showed me this last night. One of the professors at her college did this and all we need is one sheet of plywood, some paint and one string of lights."

"It's perfect."

Both of them grinning, Tim found the needed reference photos and printed them up before Gibbs went down to the basement to do some quick cutting. For this job he dug out his rarely used electric jig saw and had the cutting done by the time Tim had breakfast ready.

"Want me to help you paint it?"

The paint was non-toxic, and it had been long enough for the dust to settle so it would be safe for him. "Sure, let's get started after breakfast."

-NCIS-

"That turned out even better than I was expecting." Gibbs had to do some mixing to get the colors they needed, but he'd managed to get pretty close to what they wanted.

Tim washed out the brush he'd been using for some of the detail and set it down. "Yeah, it did. Do we need to put a clear coat on it?"

If it had been something for only that year, it wouldn't have been necessary, but Gibbs saw it as a start to their new annual holiday traditions. "Yeah, we should. It's pretty smelly, so why don't you go upstairs and I'll get a quick coat spread on it."

Smiling at the protectiveness he heard, Tim squeezed his hand before carefully waddling up the stairs knowing that Gibbs wouldn't even open the lid on the marine varnish until the door was closed between them. Sure enough, he heard the fan being turned on after the door clicked shut. Knowing that it would be a while before Gibbs let him venture back downstairs, Tim started sorting out the various leftovers to put together a late lunch for the both of them.

Gibbs had already attached stakes to the cutout, making it ready to shove into the ground and with a little ingenuity and some extra cans to support it, their artwork was standing upright in the basement. That allowed Gibbs to brush a thick coat of the varnish on both sides and the edges without having to wait for anything to dry. It took less than a half hour and then he was back upstairs with Tim eating in the kitchen.

"How many more coats of varnish does it need?"

In theory, three coats of varnish was the norm, but Gibbs was actually excited about putting their little display outside. "It's got enough for now. I'll check it after the first of the year before we pack it away."

Tim was deeply amused by how much Gibbs was enjoying their little project, knowing how little patience he had for the one-upmanship he'd witnessed between the two neighbors. "So, we'll put it up tomorrow?"

Gibbs thought about it for a moment Tonight dozens of cars would be passing the houses to take their first look at what the neighbors had come up with. "Maybe. After we eat I'm going to run down and get a new strand of lights. By the time I get back, I can probably move our new friend upstairs so he'll dry quicker. Then we'll sneak him out there tonight."

Sure enough, Gibbs had barely swallowed the last of his lunch when he was on his feet, grabbing his coat. "Anything else we need while I'm out? You're doing the rest of that baked cheese tonight, right?"

Tim picked up his phone and pushed a few buttons and a few seconds later Gibbs' phone chirped. "I am, and the list is on your phone." He managed not to laugh until the car was backing out of the driveway. Then he called and left a voice mail for his grandmother. "Hey, Penny, Jethro loved it and we're going to have our version ready to go tonight. I'll send you pictures."

-NCIS-

Vance sighed as he looked at the tangled mess of lights in the box he'd pulled out of the garage. Every November he'd curse the mess and swear that he'd put them away better after Christmas. In January, he'd be in a hurry and just shove them back in the box. Promising himself that this year would be different, he dragged the ladder out and started working.

-NCIS-

Christmas lights had changed quite a bit since the last time he and Shannon had hung them. Rope lights, icicle lights, chasing lights, solar lights, LED lights, lights that changed color, the options seemed endless. Gibbs knew that Tim would appreciate the updated technology of the newer styles, but their design needed the larger, traditional bulbs to make it work. He was still reading boxes when one of the salesmen came up to him.

"Can I help you find something, sir?"

"Yeah, I need one strand of lights for this." He pulled out the printed copy of the picture that had started their project. "I like the idea of the low power LED's, but we need the bigger, old style bulbs."

"How about these?" The young man in the store vest pulled down a box from the top shelf. "They're LED's, but they've got the traditional size and shaped bulb covers and with the crystal effect they really sparkle. They're spendy, but if you're only using a strand or two, it's not bad."

Gibbs looked carefully at the box. They were only a few dollars more, but the strand was shorter than most. They'd need two boxes, but it was still a fraction of what the neighbors were spending on their garish display. "That works. Better have two boxes, though."

The salesman was still grinning at the picture as he pulled down a second box for Gibbs. "You should have a spotlight for the figure. That way it will show up better at night."

Gibbs thought about where the cut-out was going to be in relationship to the exterior power outlets. "I'd have to run a pretty long power cord right across the walkway."

"Nah, man, solar. Here." He walked around the corner, Gibbs following, and pulled down a spotlight with its own small solar panel. "This one is really great because you can buy a second solar panel for it if you want even more juice for the battery. Two of these little panels, full charge, and it'll light up for eight or nine hours every night."

Gibbs looked out the window. It was cold, but clear and bright. "If I get them exposed to the light within the next hour, will it be charged up enough to use tonight?"

"You might not get the full nine hours, but you'll probably get a good five or six hours of light out of it tonight."

"Sold."

-NCIS-

Up on the ladder, Vance cursed as his phone rang. Fumbling with the lights, he managed to get his cell phone out before the call went to voicemail, cursing at the name on the caller ID.

"Yeah, what do you want, Kort?"

_And a good afternoon to you, too, Director. There is still a great deal of curiosity among certain members of my agency about your Agent McGee. I thought you might be interested in that._

Vance hung his head for a moment. "Damn it, I was hoping they'd lose interest. Are they merely curious or planning on doing something about it?"

_That I do not know. I would be careful about any offers you get for outside help in the near future, but you did not hear that from me._

"Of course not." However, Vance was already talking to a dial tone. Sighing, he returned to his chore. He'd refused several offers of assistance from the CIA in recent weeks, but it had been more on principle than anything else. He'd have to go back over those offers a little more closely when he got back in the office.

Just as he was finishing, Jackie came out to see how he was doing. "Looking good, Leon. You did remember to test the lights before you hung them up, right?

"Well, shit."

-NCIS-

The solar panels were set out before Gibbs even went in the house. Tim wisely didn't say a word as he put the groceries away. By the time he was done, Gibbs had a fire going in the fireplace and their project was sitting in the living room, soaking up the warmth.

The smell's not too much, is it?"

"Nah, it's fine. So, what's the plan?"

"They usually both go in for a quick dinner before they turn their lights officially on at six. I should be able to get the lights and everything else up while they're eating. You mind having a late dinner tonight? Something in front of the fireplace?"

"So we can watch their reactions?"

Gibbs didn't say anything, but his grin said it all. Sure enough, when the neighbors vanished a little after five, he bounced up and out the door.

When Shannon and Kelly were alive, they'd hung Christmas lights every year that he was stateside. The hooks were still up on the underside of the eaves and Gibbs was able to quickly hang most of the first strand. The second strand was plugged into the first and Gibbs tossed them over to where their plywood character would be installed. With Tim grinning at him from the porch, he went back in for the figure he'd cut out that morning.

-NCIS-

Tony glanced over at his passenger. At first glance, Ziva looked relaxed until you saw the tightness around her eyes. The call from Vance had stopped their movie night cold.

"It's probably nothing."

"Probably."

"I mean, Vance said that Kort didn't have any specifics."

"No, he did not."

"We're probably overreacting."

"Probably."

Tony sighed. They'd been going around in circles since the call. With no real threat they had no plan, but neither of them had been willing to sit at his apartment. "Suggestions on what to tell them when we show up?"

"Pull in there."

He did as told and found himself parking in front of a small bakery. They were getting ready to close so Ziva jumped out and ran in without an explanation. When she returned, she was carrying a box.

He nodded in approval. "Cover story?"

Ziva frowned as she thought. "We thought McGee would like a buko pie?"

"I don't even know what that is."

"It was all they had left."

"Great."

-NCIS-

It wasn't all that cold out, but Tim slipped into his bulky coat that would hide his shape the best and walked out to join Gibbs as he finished the set-up. "It's perfect."

"Oh, yeah."

One of the neighbors from down the street was walking by and started laughing. "Oh, Gibbs, it's perfect. You mind if I take a picture?"

The two men stepped out of the shot just as another neighbor drove by and honked, giving them a thumbs-up. Pleased, they waved to both and retreated inside. Once in the safety of the house, Gibbs pulled Tim's face close and kissed him. "You're brilliant. That is absolutely perfect for our yard."

"Look."

At Tim's comment, Gibbs turned to see out the window. Ralph, the neighbor with the house on the left, was standing on his porch, staring at their house. Standing behind him was his son, who'd been roped into helping string lights since he was old enough to walk, laughing so hard he could barely stand up.

"Oh, yeah, perfect."

-NCIS-

Tony cursed at the slow traffic in Gibbs' neighborhood, but then he saw the glow of the lights and remembered the annual show across the street from Gibbs' home. "Great, the two Griswolds are at it again this year."

"I do not know that movie reference, but it is Gibbs' house that is attracting the attention. This is the first year I remember him decorating the outside of his home for the holidays."

Cursing as the car in front of him stopped suddenly, Tony shook his head. "Boss don't do decorations. You know that, Ziva."

"Then what is that in his yard?"

"What the..." Tony's voice trailed off as he stared at what was attracting all the attention. A spotlight showed clearly a larger than life painted Grinch, complete with pointed shoes. The Grinch was apparently pulling lights off the home, judging from the strand that went from the roof line to the Grinch's hands and then to a pile by his feet. It was funny, it was simple and the best part was the fact that the wooden Grinch had been placed so that he was directly looking at the obnoxious lights across the street. All in all, it was a perfect display for Gibbs.

In all the years she had known him, Ziva had never seen Tony laugh that hard. By the time he was parked and had himself under control, there were tears in his eyes.

"Tony, are you all right?"

Every time he looked over at the Grinch, he started laughing again. Finally, he wiped his eyes and forced himself to look away. "The Grinch, Ziva. The Grinch, don't you get it?"

She stared at him hard, trying to figure out what she had missed. "Apparently not."

"The Grinch. How many times did we have to work over Christmas and refer to Gibbs as the Grinch that stole Christmas?"

Ziva clapped her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened. They'd managed a few team holiday dinners in the last few years, but in the beginning that had been the case. "I had forgotten about that, Tony." She looked at the house, with the simple decorations, a fire in the fireplace and the front porch light on, it looked more lived in than she ever remembered. "Things have changed, have they not?"

"Yeah, they have. Come on, I've got to get a picture of this."

-NCIS-

Vance was just sitting down at his desk to review some files when his phone chirped. Never having received a photo text from DiNozzo before, he wasn't sure what to expect. He stared at the photo of the Grinch for a few seconds, not knowing why it would have been sent, then he realized whose house he was looking at and started to laugh and called out. "Honey, you've got to see this."


	50. Chapter 50

"DiNozzo?"

"Hey, Boss, we brought pie – thought McCraving would like it. Oh, you're still having dinner. Is that that cheese thing? Man, that was really good."

He and Tim had been having a relaxing and somewhat romantic dinner in front of the fireplace, feeding each other bites of the baked fontina cheese along with a rather tasty spinach salad with chunks of turkey and bacon. Now, Tony and Ziva were in the foyer, oozing their way in, with a pie as a apparent peace offering. "What are you doing here?"

"Weren't you listening, Boss? Pie. We brought a bako pie."

"Not bako, Tony, buko." Knowing that Tony was going to have to confess the whole story to Gibbs, she turned to McGee. "Let us get some forks and plates, yes?"

Giving Jethro a 'figure it out' look, Tim let Ziva drag him and the pie off to the kitchen. Gibbs waited until they were around the corner before pinning Tony with a look.

"Start talking."

"Okay." Grateful to have the truth coming out, Tony raked his fingers through his hair. "Kort called Vance a little while ago. Apparently the whispers of rumors over there are getting louder. Vance is looking into it and he's going to increase your security team tomorrow, but..."

Gibbs saw their evening plans going up in smoke. "Just tonight, DiNozzo, and that had better be a damned good pie."

"Hope so. Bakery was closing, that was all they had left."

In the kitchen, their voices could be heard if you strained. Ziva suspected that Tim was listening, but she continued to make small talk as she sliced up the pie. When they each picked up two plates, he finally spoke to her. "I'm not a child, Ziva. I'm fully aware that the risk isn't over."

-NCIS-

The pie wasn't bad, but it was a little sweet for Gibbs and he had no idea what the difference was between young coconut and regular coconut. Tim seemed to enjoy it so he wasn't going to complain. He was going to lay down some ground rules, however. "If we chase you out, you going to sit out there in your car all night?"

Tony wasn't naturally stubborn, but he'd learned from the master. "Yep."

Gibbs looked over at Tim, who just shrugged, leaving it up to him. "Fine. Don't shoot the guards when they come in to use the head and don't come barreling into our room the first time you hear a noise."

"Oh, no problem there." Tony still remembered quite clearly when the team had caught the two men in the tub.

"Good because we're trying to enjoy our long weekend."

-NCIS-

Gibbs leaned on the bedroom door after he closed it, watching Tim undress. If Tim had any doubts about his interest in having sex with two teammates camped out in the living room, the heated look convinced him otherwise. "See something you like, Jethro?"

"Oh, yeah." Gibbs stepped closer, pulling off his shirt and tossing it aside. "I see something I really like." Kissing Tim, he eased him down onto the bed, exploring his body. The fresh scent of soap told Gibbs that Tim was more than ready to have some fun. Traumatizing DiNozzo was just icing on the cake. He reached down and stroked his fingers across Tim's hole. "You ready for the next size up?"

Tim was spreading his legs and thrusting up against Jethro's hand. "Yes."

The next size up was a butt plug, also vibrating, the flared base designed to keep it in place so it could be worn for a longer time. Tim was panting and begging for it by the time Jethro had two fingers in him. "Not yet, not going to rush this. Never going to risk hurting you."

Eventually Gibbs was satisfied with their prep and he carefully slid the well-lubed toy into place, closely watching Tim's face as he did. "How's that?"

"Good, so good."

This particular toy wasn't designed for a lot of movement, but Gibbs turned on the vibrating action as he slowly rotated it, shifting the pressure as he did. "Yeah, you like that, don't you?"

Tim was moaning and reaching for him. Jethro wanted Tim to get the complete package; instead of moving up so that Tim could touch him easier, he shifted so that he was kneeling between Tim's legs and pulled Tim's butt up onto his thighs. Cocks aligned, he wrapped a hand around both of them and set up a rhythm. His balls up against the base of the vibrating butt plug was a nice feature, too.

-NCIS-

Out in the living room, Tony seriously thought about hiding his head under a pillow as the rhythmic squeaking of the bed and the indistinct voices bled over the movie he was trying to watch on the old TV. Ziva laughed at his expression. "What else were you expecting, Tony?"

"I figured McGee would be embarrassed about us being out here."

"Those are not the cries of embarrassment." He gave her a 'no shit' look and her smile widened. "I wonder exactly what Gibbs is doing to McGee."

"No, no, we are not going to wonder about it. We are not even going to think about. Is that understood? I didn't want to hear my parents having sex and I don't want to hear Gibbs and Probie having sex." Tony paused, smiling at his own pun. "But at least the name fits him again."

"Or he could be the prob-er."

Tony had been reaching for the volume control on the TV and froze. "No, just no."

"I am just saying..."

A particularly loud yell from the bedroom, this one sounding more like Gibbs had Tony shaking his head. "TMI, Ziva. TMI."

-NCIS-

Limbs tangled, they lay together, enjoying the afterglow. Gibbs had turned off the vibrator, but left the plug inside Tim, watching as the younger man dozed off. Getting an idea, he closed his own eyes for a quick power nap of his own.

Twenty minutes later Gibbs woke up. One bedside table had been left on, bathing the room in a soft glow. Before he started any of his plans, Gibbs grasped the base of the butt plug and wiggled it a bit, making sure things hadn't dried up too much. He'd used much more lube than he'd needed and as a result it was still slick inside Tim's passage. Without touching him in any other way, Gibbs turned the vibrator back on at the lowest setting.

As he watched, Tim's dreams became more erotic and his hips started moving. He was enjoying the show very much and then Tim started talking in his sleep.

"Oh, yeah, waited so long for you... more, Jethro, more."

Hearing the throaty little moans and begging from Tim as he dreamed about them having actual intercourse went straight to Gibbs' cock. He'd been planning on waiting to see how long it took for Tim to wake up, but Gibbs immediately started sucking on his nipples, waking him even as he arched up with a cry.

-NCIS-

Tony was halfway to his feet when he realized what he was hearing. "Again? You've got to be kidding me."

Ziva had been cleaning up in the kitchen and came out, drying her hands. "For his age, Gibbs has remarkable – stamina, does he not?"

Falling back onto the sofa, Tony covered his ears. "Not talking about this, Ziva. It's like they're in their twenties and on their honeymoon or something..." His voice trailed off as he thought about what he'd just said.

"Tony?"

He just shook his head at her and started planning.

-NCIS-

"Good morning, sleep well?"

Tony glared at McGee as they passed in the hallway. Coming out of the bedroom, Tim was wearing a pair of stretchy pants and nothing else. For someone who seemed to only sleep for a few hours at a time, he looked remarkably cheerful – and huge – and not just his belly. "McPapa, are you getting boobs?"

"I'm pregnant, Tony, what do you expect?" Closing the bathroom door behind him, Tim looked in the mirror and sighed. The tissue behind his nipples had puffed up over the last few weeks and trust Tony to notice it. Not having heard retreating footsteps in the hall, he hurried through his morning routine and sure enough Tony was still standing there, looking sheepish.

"Sorry, man."

"Why? You didn't get me pregnant."

"And I am ever so grateful for that." Tony froze, realizing he'd managed to put his foot in his mouth once again, but McGee just grinned at him.

"Nothing personal, but so am I."

Tony looked around quickly, but they appeared to be alone. "You really are, aren't you? Happy, I mean. You're not just making the best out of a bad situation."

Looking very content, Tim rested his hand on his belly and looked down the hall as the bedroom door opened. "I can't imagine my life any other way. I've never been happier, Tony."

If there had been any doubt, the way Tim's face lit up when Gibbs came out of the bedroom would have cinched it. "I'm happy for you, Tim, I'm happy for both of you."

Tim touched his belly again. "All three of us."

-NCIS-

The day shift arrived with an extra agent along with the Director. Vance didn't seem all that surprised to find Tony and Ziva in the kitchen with Tim when Gibbs met him at the door. "They here all night?"

Despite his claimed annoyance, he'd appreciated the support. "Yep, but at least they brought pie."

"Any left?" Vance grinned at the glare and made his way into the kitchen. "Damn."

Tim turned at the sound of the Director's voice, trying not to laugh at his shocked expression. Next to him, Tony was grinning from ear to ear as he remembered that Vance hadn't seen McGee away from the office in quite a while. "It's amazing what those suit jackets cover up, isn't it?"

Now that he was over the immediate shock, Vance studied the pregnant man. DiNozzo was right, he'd only seen McGee in the specifically tailored clothes than were designed to hide his shape. At home with a pair of soft, clingy pants and an actual maternity top, he looked ready to pop already. "Sailor on Board?"

"It was a gift from my dad."

"He still hoping his first grandchild will go to Annapolis?"

Tim picked up his milk and walked over to the table. "Probably. We get along much better if we don't talk much. Mom and Penny pass messages back and forth and we email once a week. The whole family is planning on being here when it's time for Junior to make his debut."

Vance nodded at that, he remembered his last conversation with the man. "When we get closer to your due date let me know if Jackie and I can help with the invasion, but for now, let's review your security plans, all right?"

Gibbs found a folding chair in one of the closets and the five of them sat at the table to make plans.


	51. Chapter 51

_Week twenty-three_

Smiling at the job that started his week, Chris stepped up onto the porch and reached for the door only to have it open for him. Gibbs was standing there, dressed for work. "Good morning."

"Morning, Chris, ready to get started?"

"Yes, all the workers have been vetted by Agent DiNozzo and the rest of your people. They will be here in about thirty minutes, but I can delay them if you need me to." It had been unspoken that Gibbs and McGee needed to be out of the house before the workmen arrived.

"No, I want to get this part done as quickly as you can."

Chris noticed the increased enthusiasm. "Has our timetable changed?"

Gibbs looked almost ready to blush which had Chris's eyebrows climbing, but it was Tim, coming down the hallway, that answered him. "Let's just say that there's a final step that won't happen until we're upstairs in our new bedroom."

Yep, definitely a blush, along with a happy grin. "All right, I'll see how quick I can get you up there." When Tim disappeared, Chris turned back to Gibbs. "Any last minute requests?"

"Actually, yeah..."

-NCIS-

"Diane, I thought I'd find you here. You'll never guess who I saw the other day."

The former wife of both Gibbs and Tobias Fornell looked up from her morning coffee and cinnamon roll. Carol Jackson was a bit of a nuisance but her gossip was always first rate. "Really? Who?"

"Your ex-husband – the sexy one. And you'll never guess what he was buying."

"Oh, Lord, not another engagement ring."

"Well, no, but he probably should." Looking around, Carol sat down and leaned closer as to not let the wrong person hear the news. "He was buying a mattress for a baby cradle and he wanted the measurements for a crib mattress."

It took a minute for Diane to process what Carol was trying to tell her. "I'm sure it was a gift. Maybe one of the agents he works with..."

"He bought blue sheets. Told the sales girl that they had to be the same shade of blue as the bunny he'd already bought for his _son_."

"His son? Jethro's going to be a father again?" Losing interest in her now cold coffee, Diane stood and left the coffee shop, leaving Carol with her own unanswered question.

"Again?"

-NCIS-

Trevor Wood was sketching out some designs when his phone rang, a familiar ring tone that always made him smile. "Hey, babe, what's up?"

_The bedroom project just kicked into high gear. You want to come help me this afternoon?_

"What happened?" He had to wait while Chris laughed before he could give an answer.

_They're enjoying the basket very much, but Gibbs has decided he's not going to tap that ass until they're upstairs on 'their' bed. Apparently it was a great idea in theory, but the man's about to burst._

Now it was Trevor's turn to laugh. It took him a minute to calm down enough to look at his schedule. "I've got a final fitting at eleven. If that goes well, then I'm all yours."

_Perfect. The walls are almost done, then I'm having my guys do a quick dry refresh on the floors instead of a full refinish to save time. I'm leaving in a few minutes to do some shopping Jethro asked me to do, so why don't we meet for lunch at noon?_

"You got it. So, what do you need to buy that wasn't already on the list? You going to give me a hint?"

_Let's just say one of our boys has a kink or two. _

"Really?"

_Oh, yeah, really._

-NCIS-

"Timmy!" Abby squealed as he walked into the lab, followed by Gibbs.

"Hey, Abs." McGee braced for the impact as she hugged him. Behind him, Gibbs helped him balance, then distracted her with a large cup.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Gibbs held the CafPow! over her head until she'd let go of Tim. Finally released, Tim took his own large cup over to his work station and settled in to review the rest of the files from the Dr. Banks murder investigation. Sipping on his berry smoothie he listened to Jethro make sure Abby would not let him push himself too hard. Finally after she had promised to take very good care of him, Gibbs returned to Tim's side.

"We've got to go back over the crime scene again. SecNav wants to make sure Ryan's people didn't go back in and try to muck anything back up. You going to be all right until I get back?"

Tim didn't roll his eyes, but it was a concerted effort. "I'll be fine. Documenting everything that was done to Banks electronically will probably take me all day. The DA wants everything traced back to the beginning."

Much to Abby's delight, Gibbs leaned close for a long, lingering kiss before nuzzling the side of Tim's face. "Call if you need anything."

-NCIS-

On their way back from a useless second search of the crime scene Tony kept giving Gibbs an appraising look. Finally Gibbs had enough. "What?"

"Well, it's just that – well, it's like you and McGee have traded personalities. I mean he's gone all traditional what with insisting the baby have your last name and all that. And you..."

Gibbs really didn't know where DiNozzo was going with this. "What about me?"

Tony used the excuse of going through the gate security to come up with a way to put it into word. Finally, the car was moving again and he'd run out of delays. "If someone had told me a year ago that you'd be shacked up with your pregnant lover without putting a ring on it, I'd have told them they were nuts."

The tires squealed and smoked as Gibbs planted his foot on the brake and turned to stare at Tony without saying a word. Finally, from the back seat, Ziva spoke up. "Tony, I think you broke him."

That seemed to shake Gibbs out of his stupor and the car fishtailed when he stomped on the accelerator. A few seconds later and the Charger was pulling up in front of the building. "You two finish the damn paperwork and put this case to bed."

Ziva had barely gotten the back door closed before Gibbs was pulling away from the curb, tires squealing once again. She turned and smiled at Tony who waited until the car disappeared around the corner before lifting his hand for a high-five, which she returned. "Well played, Tony, well played."

-NCIS-

Just down the street from Trevor's studio was a small restaurant that he and Chris had helped finance. After a rough start, it was now usually standing room only at lunchtime. Being the money man had its advantages and by the time Chris arrived Trevor had snagged them a tiny table in the back corner and ordered their favorites.

"Hey, fitting go all right?"

Trevor raised up from his chair enough to sneak a kiss before Chris sat down and inhaled the tea waiting for him. "It did. The Senator will look fabulous when he explains his twenty year old mistress on TV tonight."

"So, no final adjustments this afternoon?"

"Nope, I'm all yours." Trevor leaned back as their food was brought to them, waiting until the waiter left them again. "So, tell me what we're doing."

-NCIS-

Rachel watched, amused, as her unexpected visitor prowled around her office. "I'm always glad to see you, Jethro, but is there a reason you're using my office as a racetrack?"

"Shit." Gibbs sank down in the chair across from Rachel and raked his hands through his hair before telling her about the conversation in the car.

In truth, she was surprised this hadn't come up sooner, but she had to give points to DiNozzo for his creativity. "So, why haven't you? I realize that you live in Virginia, but you're in DC almost every single day."

Gibbs stared at a point over her shoulder, looking more vulnerable than she'd ever seen him. "I'll screw it up. I always screw it up."

She had a theory, but needed more information. "Tell me about your first ex-wife."

That wasn't a question he was expecting. "What about her?"

"How long between Shannon's death and your relationship with her?' Before he could answer, she held up a finger. "Not in time, but in relationships. How many women were there between them?"

Gibbs' head bounced a little bit as he struggled with the answer and admitting the truth. "She... she was the first woman I was involved with after Shannon. Yeah, I know, it was a rebound."

"Ya think?" It was a perfect imitation of Gibbs, who obviously didn't appreciate it, but Rachel pushed on. "What about Diane? What made you decide to ask her to marry you?"

He almost gave her the standard 'it sounded like a good idea at the time' answer, but this was too important to him to resort to flip responses. Thinking about it, he spoke slowly as he gave her the real answer. "She bought every issue of every bridal and wedding magazine out there and made sure that no matter what, no matter where we were, I'd be seeing one of them."

"Subtle as a barracuda, Gibbs."

Gibbs glared at her. "Yeah, I know that now. What's the point?"

Rachel wasn't about to be deterred. "And Stephanie? What were you thinking that time?"

This time Gibbs did laugh. "There was no thinking involved in that one. We went to Vegas to witness a friend of hers getting married. I remember a hell of a lot of champagne and I woke up with a gold band on my own finger."

"Jethro!" Rachel looked scandalized, even though she laughed right along with him. Then she turned serious. "You've told me about the future you see with Tim. Did you ever see yourself having a future with any of your ex's?"

The question stopped him for a moment, then he shook his head. "No, not really."

"What did you want out of those marriages?"

The truth bubbled out before he could filter it, the old hurt coming through with the words. "I just wanted the pain to stop. I wanted something to stuff into that hole where my heart had once been."

"But it didn't help, did it?"

"No, it didn't."

"And you hid all that pain and loss far away from them, hoping what, Jethro?"

He didn't answer for a long time, but Rachel was patient. Eventually he ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't want them to share those memories with me. They'd know they were each a pale replacement for what I lost, what I wanted back in my life."

"But Tim knows about Shannon and Kelly."

"Yeah, he knows more about them than I've ever told another living person."

Now Rachel was ready to ask the crucial question. "Is Tim just another replacement?"

"No." The answer was blurted out so fast it surprised her. "No, he's not."

"So, what are you afraid of?"

"I don't know."

"Well, let's see if we can figure that out, alright?"

-NCIS-

On his way back from an afternoon luncheon, Vance walked through the squad room to find only two members of the MCRT, both highly amused by all appearances. "Is Gibbs downstairs?"

"Umm, no." DiNozzo straightened up and carefully closed the file he was reviewing. "He had something to take care of."

Suspicious, Vance sat on the corner of his desk, arms crossed. "Really? What did you do?"

There was more curiosity than censor in Vance's tone, so Tony leaned back, tossing his pen on the desk. "Well, I might have mentioned how modern he was being, you know..." Now he leaned forward so that his voice wouldn't carry. "Shacking up with a pregnant lover and not a ring in sight."

"I see." The side of Vance's mouth twitched. "So, is he ring shopping or seeing Dr. Cranston?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

Vance just shook his head before retreating to his office. He was pretty sure the Director of the FBI never had days like his.


	52. Chapter 52

"Answer a hypothetical question for me, Gibbs. What happens if something goes wrong during the delivery and you have to choose which one of them to save – Tim or the baby?"

Seeing red, Gibbs was instantly back on his feet. "What the hell kind of a question is that?"

Rachel gave that serene smile that drove him up the wall at times. "Obviously one that hit a nerve. If the unthinkable happens and Tim were to lose the baby, what happens to the two of you? Or if the baby survived but Tim were to die in childbirth, would that be easier?"

Returning to his chair once again, Gibbs rubbed at his jaw. He knew what she was asking. Was he in it only for the chance to be a father or for the whole package? "There would be nothing easy about losing either one of them."

"But it could happen, or be even worse. You know that better than anyone, don't you?"

He did, and that was the problem. "Losing one of them would be bad enough, but if I lost both of them..."

"You're scared, Gibbs. Anybody with your history would be scared right now. I can tell you that their survival isn't tied up with whether or not you marry him."

"Shannon would still be alive if she'd never gotten involved with me."

"Now you stop that right now. Shannon died because of a low-life that didn't care about anything or anybody except for keeping his own ass out of prison."

"I wasn't there to protect her, to protect them."

Rachel stood and walked around to squat down next to his chair. "You didn't fail them, Jethro."

"It sure feels like it sometimes. What do I do?"

"I can't tell you what to do, Gibbs, but I can tell you that the cosmos are not going to strike Tim down just because you admit to the world that you love him. What it boils down to is that you need to decide what you want. Is it just being a father again, or are you really ready to be a husband with everything that entails? It's okay to be scared, but don't let those fears destroy your future."

-NCIS-

Trevor followed Chris into the store, grinning at the view as his husband climbed the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. Chris looked over his shoulder. "You watching my ass?"

"Always." They exchanged smiles and Trevor took the stairs two at a time to catch up with him. "So, you still haven't told me what you've already bought and what we're getting here."

"Jethro wants a mirror."

"Okay, so... don't most bedrooms have a mirror someplace?"

"I'm not talking about a mirror over the dresser, I mean a nice big, full length mirror – and it's not to see what he looks like in a suit."

Now Trevor was getting it. "He likes to watch when they..."

"That too, but actually, I think he likes to watch Tim watching them when they..."

"Okay, that's a little different." Trevor thought about it for a minute, realizing that Tim couldn't see past his belly at all and thinking about the various positions the couple would be limited to for a while. "They need a bedroom chair, too. Something sturdy enough to support them both."

His suggestion got a smile from Chris. "Oh, I like the way you think."

The returned smile was a sultry one. "You usually do."

-NCIS-

Abby had gone for another CafPow, so when the lab door opened Tim expected it to be her. When no footsteps could be heard, he looked up. Gibbs was standing in the doorway, with an expression Tim had never seen. "You okay?"

Gibbs nodded and stepped closer, still looking intently at Tim.

"Jethro, what's wrong?" Tim met him in the middle of the lab and cupped his cheeks with his hands, pulling him close. "Is everyone all right? Did something happen at Banks' house?"

"No, been done there for hours. You... you're more than a womb to me, you know that, right?"

That wasn't the question he'd been expecting and Tim wasn't sure what had started this train of thought, but he nodded and answered as honestly as he could. "I know. You'd still be sleeping on the sofa if I thought otherwise. What's going on?"

"You deserve so much more than I can give you right now."

Tim still didn't know what was going on, but Jethro was rubbing his thumbs over Tim's hands, especially one particular finger on his left hand. That gave him a clue so he quietly waited and let the other man talk.

"She's right, you know. But my history sucks and I can't mess this up. It's too important to mess up." Gibbs pulled back far enough to look Tim in the eye. "You're too important for me to mess this up."

No one had ever accused Jethro Gibbs of talking too much and even his expressions were usually reserved, but Tim had seen more than most since his rescue and what he saw on Jethro's face said it clearly – _I'm scared_. Putting the pieces together, Tim pulled Jethro's left hand to his mouth and kissed his ring finger exactly where a gold band would sit. "It's okay, Jethro. Don't ask until you're ready. When you're ready to ask the question, I'll be ready to answer."

-NCIS-

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Kort stood in the doorway to the plush office, waiting for confirmation before stepping inside. As always, his boss took exactly fifteen seconds, pretending to read a file in his desk, before he looked up.

"Yes, Agent Kort, come in."

The offer to sit was rarely given and usually meant a dangerous request that couldn't be turned down so Kort gratefully stood at parade rest as Assistant Director Daniels handed him a large stack of files. He opened the first one to look, then checked a few more to find they were all the same type of file. "Personnel files, Sir?"

Daniels sat back, his fingers steepled under his chin. "Somebody in that stack is our problem, Trent. Find them before they make a move against McGee and embarrass this agency any further."

Kort looked closer at the file on the top. These weren't the official files the Agency kept on each employee, these were the deep files, the ones that never saw the light of day. The ones that a mere agent wasn't supposed to know even existed. He opened his mouth to ask, but Daniels had returned his attention to the file on his desk and Kort knew that anything further would be ignored. Uncomfortable, but without a choice, he turned and walked out of the office, not stopping and not taking a deep breath until he was in his car and out of parking lot.

Once he'd put a few miles between Langley and himself, he pulled the car over and wiped his hands across his face. "Bloody hell."

-NCIS-

"Looks funny without a headboard."

Chris nodded at his design intern. "The homeowner is a woodworker and he's building the headboard. I'll add it later."

"Okay." The young man, fresh from his first year at design school, went back to making up the new king sized bed, piling the pillows up against the wall with a long body pillow at the bottom of the stack. Satisfied that the job was under control, Chris went back downstairs where Trevor was supervising the transfer of the men's personal belongings from the downstairs bedroom. One of the workers was gathering the clothes from the closet while two of them were straining to move the antique dresser.

Trevor smiled at him and set aside the box that held the gift basket goodies and the books Tim had bought. "Bed getting all set up?"

"Yeah." Chris stepped around the dresser as they stumbled out the door. "You know it would have been a lot easier to move that with the drawers out."

"Jethro might be a boxers type of guy, but Tim isn't."

"Well, neither am I." A few seconds later, what Trevor wasn't saying caught up with Chris and he realized why the workmen were carrying the dresser up the stairs without seeing what was inside. "Oh, really?"

"Yep. Found the receipt, too, so I know what's going in your stocking this Christmas."

"Does that mean I've been a good boy this year?"

Trevor stepped close to steal a kiss. "Well, either a very good boy or a very bad boy and after we get this done, I'll show you just how good – or bad – you are."

They heard the muffled noise as the dresser arrived upstairs and Chris tugged him closer. "Then let me send the workers home and we can finish up the detail in a hurry and without an audience."

-NCIS-

"You want an egg roll?"

Gibbs stared at the array of food laid out on the desk in Abby's office. "I was upstairs for maybe forty minutes."

"I was hungry."

Abby came up behind Gibbs to grab a box of noodles. "Yeah, Bossman, gotta keep him well fed you know."

Gibbs leaned forward and took a bite out of the egg roll that Tim was holding out to him. "You worked through lunch, didn't you?"

"We lost track of time. The complexity of the virtual world they subjected Dr. Banks to was amazing and a little scary." Tim shrugged and finished off the roll they'd been sharing. "Even without the drugs they were giving him, he probably wouldn't have noticed anything was fake."

Noticing that one untouched box held his usual order, Gibbs picked it up and started eating. "How could they have faked the entire internet?"

"They didn't have to. Banks was a creature of habit. Other than a handful of sites he visited regularly, he didn't really surf the web. As long as the changes they made weren't about something so popular that it would be discussed around the water cooler, he'd never notice." Gibbs still didn't look convinced, so Tim took a different approach. "Who'd Philly play last night?"

"They beat Edmonton, four to three."

"You sure?" Tim knew that Gibbs had read the score over his shoulder that morning when they were getting ready for work. "That game wasn't televised, there aren't any other Philadelphia hockey fans on our team..."

Gibbs nodded, getting what Tim was telling him. "As long as the change wasn't too outrageous..."

"Exactly." Tim waited for a moment. "You know, since Ryan wasn't directly responsible for Dr. Banks' murder, there's only so much she can be charged with for what she did to us. We can't even prove that she was inside the house, not in a way that will stand up in court."

Tim was sitting in the desk chair and Gibbs wrapped an arm around him before bending down to kiss the top of his head. "Yeah, I know, and she was too smart to incriminate herself in her files. But, I think she's getting the point that you're off-limits now and hopefully she'll be too busy trying to keep her position and reputation to worry about us."

"Hope so."

They ate in silence until Gibbs phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs." He didn't say anything else but to thank the other person. After he disconnected the call, he turned back to Tim. "You ready to forget all about her and go home?"

"Yes. Give me about twenty minutes to wrap up my report for Vance and then I can go."

Gibbs straightened up as he tossed his chopsticks into his empty box. "All right, let me go upstairs and send the rest of them home."

-NCIS-

The ride home was quiet as it had been a long day. Gibbs was still mulling what Rachel had said to him along with Tim's calm acceptance of his fears. Arriving home, Gibbs spoke briefly with the guards before helping Tim out of the car. Dorneget was in charge of the current shift and he seemed pretty happy as he tilted his head toward a note on the front door.

Gibbs gave him a long look before he and Tim went up the stairs and he grabbed the folded paper. He grinned as he read it. "They're done."

"They're done?" It took a few seconds before Tim realized what he meant. "Already?"

"Yeah." Gibbs' face fell. "If you don't want to take that step before I'm ready to..." He shrugged, even unable to say the words quite yet.

Like before, Tim cupped his cheeks and looked him in the eye. "I know you, I know how you feel. I know this is forever even if you're not ready to say the words that society thinks you should say."

The trust almost took his breath away and at the same time made him feel like a cad for not being able to give Tim this one simple thing.

For his part, Tim hated to see the guilt on Gibbs' face, especially when he knew how much the man had struggled for years to move past Shannon and the subsequent three failed marriages. "Come on, let's go in."

Taking a deep breath, Gibbs opened the door and followed Tim inside. A few lights were on, casting the entry way in a soft glow as they hung up their coats. The first thing they noticed was an ice bucket on the small table by the front door along with two fluted glasses that Gibbs knew didn't come out of his cupboards. Gibbs picked up the bottle to read the label.

"Sparkling cider." Pleased, he opened the bottle and poured it into the two glasses that Tim held up for him. "To new beginnings."

Tim smiled, liking the sound of that. "To new beginnings."

As they sipped the faux champagne, Gibbs took Tim's hand and they walked further into the house. A trail of rose pedals led up the stairs and after exchanging a smile they followed the trail. As they suspected, it led to the bedroom upstairs.

Taking a deep breath and looking first at Tim, Jethro pushed open the door and they both stared. Instead of the white walls they'd been expecting, the walls had already been painted the soft sage green Tim liked. Gibbs had known that color would make an appearance when the full remodel happened, but he was glad to see it now as it set off the newly buffed floor and the white trim on the windows.

Both Shannon and Tim loved the way the light poured in the large windows and now the windows were covered with sheer white curtains that were plain instead of the lace that had been there before. The new curtains actually blocked the view even less than the lace had, but new roller shades were now installed in each window for privacy.

The king sized bed looked very much at home in the room, flanked by two small nightstands, even without the headboard. For now, instead of the headboard, a pile of pillows filled in that space. Again, the bedding was a set that had caught Tim's eye. He hadn't mentioned it, but both Chris and Gibbs noticed how carefully he'd looked at one particular image on Chris's tablet and Chris had tracked it down. Soft white with a stylized leaf design that matched the sage green on the walls, set off by the pillow shams in the same color combination, but with a geometric design. Only the body pillow and one accent pillow were a solid color and both were slightly darker shades of the same green.

The antique oak dresser that Gibbs refinished years ago had a new home up here and it looked much better in the larger room. The dresser had a mirror over it, but Gibbs grinned at the mirror now installed on the other wall. The comfortable looking chair and ottoman lined up across from the mirror was an added thrill and was already giving Gibbs ideas.

Details filled the room, showing how Chris had picked up on subtle things they hadn't mentioned. They hadn't mentioned who slept on which side of the bed, but the nightstand of Gibbs' side of the bed had several deep drawers while the nightstand on Tim's side had smaller drawers but several shelves for books, perfect for when he would be spending hours in bed as the pregnancy progressed.

"Wow."

"You like it?" Gibbs did like the changes, but he'd agreed to this to make Tim feel more at home.

Tim walked further into the room as he continued to look around. "Yeah, I do. At first I couldn't imagine having a decorator doing this for us, but it's perfect. Very peaceful."

Gibbs had to agree with him on both counts and after seeing what he and Chris were considering stage one, he was looking forward to the rest of the transformation and seeing Tim's reaction to the expanded suite and new office that would be awaiting him when he came home from the hospital. "It is. I must admit it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. Makes me really want to get that headboard started."

"Not tonight." Tim had a smile on his face that softened the lecture. "I have other plans for your hands tonight."

"Yeah? Just my hands?"

"Oh, I think a few more body parts will come into play before we're done." Tim pulled him closer and started tugging on his shirt, pulling it free of his belt. "We're going to take a shower and then we're going to use every square inch of that big bed. Okay?"

"Yes, Dear."

"Good answer."


	53. Chapter 53

A/N - not a huge chapter, but needed to stand alone. Thanks, guys, for all the wonderful reviews. BTW, for those of you reading Paradox, when I catch up here with what's posted elsewhere, new chapters will be starting up again as I'm finishing that story up also.

* * *

><p>A few surprises awaited them in the upstairs bathroom, namely a stack of thick, luxurious towels and his and his satin robes hanging on the back of the bathroom door. They'd taken many showers together, but tonight's was probably the most efficient as Tim obviously had other plans. Gibbs didn't argue as he, too, was looking forward to the evening's plans.<p>

Tossing the towels on the counter, Gibbs held the deep green robe out for Tim. Between the generous cut and the lack of a label, he was pretty sure these had been Trevor's contribution. Tim tied the belt above his belly and Gibbs enjoyed the view as he slipped into the second, royal blue robe. This one was a little shorter and much more tapered. Gibbs loosely tied his belt before taking Tim's hand and leading him out of the bathroom.

"Tell me what you want."

Tim didn't have to hesitate at all. "You, inside me. I want to look into your eyes while you make love to me."

Smiling, Gibbs squeezed his hand as they walked to the bed. After folding back the bedding, he kissed Tim's lips and helped him onto the bed. Enjoying the extra space, Tim arranged himself in the middle of the bed, still in his robe.

"So beautiful." Gibbs tugged the knot free on Tim's robe and watched as the silky satin slowly slid off his body to pool on each side of him. The feel of the satin had Tim half hard already and Gibbs ran his fingertips up and down his shaft, bringing him the rest of the way to a full erection. "You have no idea how beautiful this is, to see your dick hard and leaking, pressed up against your belly."

Gibbs circled his fingers around the head of Tim's cock before sliding them down to cup his balls, then stroking through the light brown hair that covered his groin. "Your body hair is like silk. I wake up at night running my fingers through it. Was it this soft before you were pregnant?"

"Yeah, it's always been over-glorified peach fuzz." Breathing deeply, Tim let his legs fall open to expose himself and Jethro obligingly let his fingers trail down to caress his opening. "Oh, yes, need you, need you now."

"You've got me." Laying on his side next to Tim, he reached over to check out the drawers in his new nightstand. Expecting to find their various bottles of lube in the top drawer, he was surprised to find a new lockbox bolted into the top drawer. It was one of the newer models that used biometrics and Gibbs filed that away for later. The next drawer had what he was looking for and he quickly coated his fingers.

Shifting around, Gibbs draped Tim's closest leg over his thigh, enjoying the weight of Tim's leg as much as the increased access. Taking his time, he circled his fingers around Tim's hole over and over, enjoying the feel as the skin twitched under his fingers. "After the baby is here, I'm looking forward to making love to you with your legs wrapped around my waist."

"Mmm, that sounds good."

"Yeah." Gibbs kissed Tim's lips before moving on to his belly and then his chest. "But for now, I'm going to enjoy all the curves that come with the territory."

"Oh." Tim arched his back as Jethro sucked his nipple into his mouth and rolled it between his lips while his fingers found Tim's prostate.

By the time Gibbs pulled back, both of Tim's saliva covered nipples were hard and red and he was thrusting up, trying to get more contact as the fingers slipped out of him.

"You ready?"

"For days."

Gibbs let himself grin at the wailed answer while he rolled a condom on. He settled in between Tim's thighs, lifting his legs so that he could get the proper angle. Still bracing Tim's legs, he shuffled forward a few more inches so that Tim's butt would be on his lap. Tim reached down to support his legs, giving Jethro both hands free to guide himself inside.

Taking his time easing into Tim's passage was probably the hardest thing Jethro Gibbs had ever done, but he refused to allow for a single moment of pain on Tim's part. Other than a soft reminder to Tim to bear down, he was silent until he was completely buried inside him.

The velvety heat, so tight around his penis, it would have been so easy to climax right then. Gibbs breathed deeply through his teeth, watching the expression on Tim's face. There hadn't been any visible signs of discomfort, only the slight look of awe Tim got as he was discovering something new.

"You okay?"

"You're inside me, Jethro. I'm better than okay." Tim smiled with a joyful expression that turned curious just as Gibbs felt the muscles ripple around his cock. "Can you feel that?"

It was like getting deep-throated, but a dozen times better. Gibbs threw his head back with a deep groan and started rocking his hips to match Tim's rhythm. "Hell, yes."

Getting himself back under control, Gibbs watched Tim's face as they continued to slowly make love, getting Tim's legs braced against his sides so that they could lace their fingers together. After his careful study, Gibbs knew the best angles and without breaking eye contact, he shifted slightly so that he was stroking directly across Tim's prostate. He'd had sex with many women over his lifetime, but he'd never seen anything as beautiful and erotic as watching the pleasure building on Tim's face.

Hands interlaced, Gibbs knew the exact moment when Tim wanted to touch himself and he shook his head as he tightened his grip. "Not this time, babe. You're going to come from just my cock inside you. Just from us making love."

Biting his lower lip, Tim nodded as his hands also tightened around Gibbs'.

Picking up speed, Gibbs continued to watch Tim closely, the two of them never breaking eye contact. Sensing the time was right, he leaned down and smiled. "Come for me." It only took a few seconds before Tim's back arched and he let out a cry, his muscles clamping down on Jethro and pulling him over the edge with him.

-NCIS-

"Mr. Kort, what a surprise." Ducky opened the door wider and waved his unexpected guest inside. "Come in, I was just about to put on a pot of tea."

"Thank you, Dr. Mallard. I hate to bother you, but..."

Ducky shook his head as he ushered the other man into his front parlor. "Nonsense, it's no bother at all. In fact, I rather miss our chess sessions while you were recovering. Now, it looks like you have a project that you need my help with, am I correct?"

The stack of files in his arms felt much heavier than the size would suggest. "The Assistant Director believes that one of these men was involved in the attack and is still targeting Agent McGee."

"And was responsible for poisoning you?" Ducky moved around the room, closing the heavy drapes and turning on a radio for background noise for an added level of safety. "All right then, let us take a look at our suspects. Show me what you have and let's see if we can ferret out the kind of man that could do such a thing."

-NCIS-

Tangled in each other's arms, Jethro and Tim tenderly kissed. Tim was trembling, which worried Gibbs until he lifted his own hand and realized it was shaking, too. Accepting how powerful the experience had been for both of them he pulled Tim even closer, curling his own body to fit around Tim's belly. "That was..."

"Yeah, it was." Tim gave a shaky laugh before pressing a kiss against Jethro's throat. "I knew it would be, physically, but it was so much more."

"So much more." Words were never his strong suit, but Gibbs was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to put what he was feeling into words no matter what, but he wanted to try. "I've said the words before, but it's been a very long time since I've meant them the way I do right now."

Tim pulled back enough to see Jethro and Gibbs traced a finger down the side of Tim's face before he whispered the words. "I love you." Tim stilled before a slow smile spread over his face and he blinked back tears.

"Oh, Jethro, I love you, too. More than I ever thought I could possibly love anyone."

-NCIS-

"Well?" Bland features and balding, he'd made an entire career of blending into the background.

Robert Hartman subtly rubbed his palms against his pant legs. He'd done some small jobs for him before, but this was the biggest by far. "It's been taken care of. Daniels was easily led and now Kort will be chasing his tail for weeks. That will give you plenty of time to put your plan into motion."

"Excellent." With a nod, he dismissed the man. Depending on his mood at the end of this, Hartman would find himself on a long term plushy assignment or on a suicide mission. Either way, the connection between himself and this mess would be gone. Thirty-five years in the Agency and only a handful of people even knew his name. He was a ghost to the ghosts of the Agency, controlling the Agency like a giant chess board. There would be fall-out from McGee's murder, that was a given, but Carter Ryland was untouchable.


	54. Chapter 54

"Mmm, good morning." Gibbs nuzzled his face against the back of Tim's neck before he even opened his eyes. Nestled in Tim's butt crack, his dick reported in as Tim ground back against him.

"Good morning to you, too. That's a nice way to wake up."

"Yeah?" They were both laying on their sides, spooned together. Remembering one of the positions he'd seen in the stack of cards in the basket, Gibbs lifted Tim's top leg up and back so that it was draped over his thigh. They'd only cleaned up last night with the baby wipes he'd found in the drawer and a quick check showed that Tim was still lubed and relaxed. He rocked back and forth a few times, the head of his cock dragging against Tim's hole.

"Yes." Tim matched his movement and his pace.

"You sure, you're not too sore?" Even as he asked, Jethro was reaching back for a new condom.

"Not sore, but I want to be able to feel you all day."

Gibbs had an instant, very primal reaction in his gut at the idea that Tim would feel a physical reminder every time he moved and he growled at he nipped at Tim's neck. "Damn, yeah." He had to use his teeth to rip the foil package open and it had been many years since he'd donned a condom one-handed, but the movements came back quickly and he found the right bottle of lube just by feel so he didn't have to move away from Tim at all. Tim's passage was probably still slick enough, but Gibbs wasn't about to risk causing him any discomfort.

At this angle he wasn't as deep, but he set up a slow rhythm and raised up on his elbow to see Tim better. Tim twisted his upper body enough and raised up on both elbows so that they could leisurely kiss as they slowly made love.

Gibbs had his arm hooked under Tim's leg, but he was able to run his fingers up and down Tim's penis with every stroke. It wasn't enough to do the job, but it was enough to fan the flames until Tim was groaning and panting.

"More?"

"Yes."

Jethro obliged by wrapping his fingers around Tim's cock just a little tighter as he picked up the pace.

"Yessss."

-NCIS-

Kort woke with a snort, fighting down he panic of not knowing where he was before opening his eyes. Once he did open his eyes he found himself on Ducky's couch with a blanket thrown over him. Sitting up, he was still rubbing his face when Ducky arrived with a tray.

"Ah, good morning. I thought about waking you and sending you up to the guest room last night, but you were quite sound asleep. I hope the sofa wasn't too uncomfortable."

"No, it was fine." Kort looked around, remembering the late night reviewing files. The pages were all still where they'd worked, the notebook Ducky had been writing in just to the left of the stack. It had been well after midnight the last time he remembered looking at the clock. The last thing he remembered was taking a break and Dr. Mallard going in to make a fresh pot of tea. "I hope I wasn't a bother."

The elderly doctor tutted as he poured the fresh tea and held out a plate of fresh scones. "Heavens, no, not a bother at all. I'm glad you came to me with this and in your line of work, the fact that you felt safe enough in my home to fall asleep is quite an honor. Now, I've informed the Director that unless a new case comes in that requires my attention, I will be working from home today. So, enjoy your tea and then we will get back to work."

-NCIS-

"Wear the green ones."

Tim looked up and smiled as he dropped the dark gray bikinis and picked up the deep green ones. "Yeah?"

"Yep." After their morning romp, they'd taken separate showers just to be safe and Gibbs was already dressed as he watched Tim. "It'll give me something to hold onto today while I'm slaving away on that stack of paperwork I've got to tackle this morning."

He'd sat down to put them on and now Tim was standing in front of Gibbs as he carefully and blatantly adjusted himself in the silky fabric. "So, if you get done with that monstrous stack of paperwork quickly enough, you might be able to come home early?"

Gibbs was staring at Tim's dick, the shape would have been very visible through the fabric even without Tim's fingers reminding him what was under there. He swallowed hard and looked up, willing himself to not walk out to the car sporting wood. "I'll work through lunch."

Tim smiled as he turned back to the dresser for the rest of his clothes, giving Gibbs a good view of his backside, the thong strap leaving nothing to the imagination. "Good."

He knew the reason Tim was staying home today, but... "You sure you're going to be all right here today?"

"I'll be fine." Dropping his clothes on the bed, Tim pulled Jethro close for a kiss. "Chris will be here this morning to talk about the nursery and painting Jack's house and then I'm going to Skype with my mom after lunch."

"Be sure to take a nap after you talk to your mom, okay?"

"You got something in mind for later? Something I'm going to need my – stamina for?" Tim gave him his most innocent look.

Gibbs grinned and picked up his coat. "You never know what might come up."

-NCIS-

Chris arrived with a bag from a local pastry shop and two tall cups. "Here, I know you're not drinking coffee right now, so I brought herbal tea."

"Thank you." So far, tea had been a sad substitute for coffee, but Tim appreciated the effort. Taking a sip, he was pleasantly surprised. "Wow, that's really good, what kind of tea is it?"

"It's a blend: cinnamon, licorice, ginger, fennel, orange and cardamom. It's supposed to be very calming, figured it would be good as you get further along. If you like, I can pick up a tin of it for you, or one of their sampler packs."

"That would be great, thanks." Tim took another sip as they settled at the table. "I have to tell you, the bedroom is beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you."

Grinning, Chris leaned closer and waggled his eyebrows. "Ah, but the real question is, did it do the trick?"

Tim laughed and blushed before he confessed. "It sure did."

-NCIS-

"Where's Gibbs? Is he here yet?" Tony scurried in, trying to keep a low profile.

Ziva tried not to laugh as he slid into his seat and grabbed a file, trying to look like he'd been there for a while. "I have not seen him yet and neither of the cars are out in the parking lot. Does McGee have a doctor's appointment today?"

Tony thought for a moment. "No, I think it's on Friday. Maybe they eloped."

"I hope not." When Tony gave her an incredulous look, she continued, watching him out of the corner of her eye. "Of course watching you explain to Abby that she did not get to see the two of them marry would make up for it."

There was a split second of terror on his face as he imagined facing Abby with that kind of news. "Good point." Before he could say anything else, Gibbs walked into view. "Boss, there you are. We were worried. Well, not worried-worried, but..."

"Curious?" Ziva smiled sweetly at him, enjoying the show as he floundered.

"Yes, yes! I mean no, not curious." He glared at her before returning his attention to Gibbs. "No, no we don't contemplate what you two get up to when you're all alone in that house, in that narrow bed..."

It had been Ziva's turn to bring coffee that morning, but Gibbs surprised them by dropping a small bag on each of their desks. "Good." He waited until Tony had grinned at the treat and was taking a big gulp of his coffee. "Besides, we were upstairs, enjoying that new, king sized bed."

-NCIS-

"If only all of my clients were so easy." Chris smiled and shook his head as he looked over his notes. The bunny Tim had on his lap was the same blue as one of the yarns in the green and blue blanket on the table. He wasn't completely sure what the connection was between the two pieces, but they both meant a great deal to the parents-to-be.

Chris had managed to find a nice soft rug in those same two precise shades of blue and green, a minor miracle as far as he was concerned as he had certainly never seen that exact combination before. The walls would be done in a lighter version of the blue and a high shelf would be added to two of the walls and painted the green. "Okay, anything in particular that you have planned for those shelves yet?

"There's a few boxes of toys and stuffed animals that I want up there, plus some pictures."

Now they were getting somewhere. "Family heirlooms?"

Tim leaned back in his chair, his hand resting protectively on his stomach. "I want this little guy to grow up knowing about his big sister and her mother, Jethro's first wife."

Judging from the sadness in Tim's expression when he mentioned them, Chris knew he had to tread lightly. He'd heard some of the details already, but Tim had no idea about the discussion he'd had with Gibbs about the upcoming changes to the top floor. "They're no longer..."

"They were killed when Kelly was eight. Jethro was still in the Corps when it happened." Tim reached over and picked up the blanket and the note from Shannon that was underneath it. "Shannon made this while he was deployed, then boxed it up with this note and hid it away in the attic without ever telling him about it. We were in the attic looking for a chair and the box fell off a shelf without us being anywhere near it."

When Tim held out the note, Chris took it and read it before handing it back. "Then Jethro found the bunny that matched Shannon's blanket?"

"No, he bought the bunny weeks earlier. Weeks before he even knew the blanket existed."

"Wow. That's quite a coincidence."

Tim shook his head. "Jethro and I don't believe in coincidences." When Chris stared at him in shock, he shrugged. "Maybe I'm nuts, but I feel her presence in the house, her's and Kelly's. They're happy for us and I want to honor their presence in our lives."

-NCIS-

Still coughing as he mopped up the coffee on his desk, Tony glanced over at Gibbs. "So, Boss, any particular date we need to be setting aside? You know, just in case."

A call from upstairs probably saved Tony's head as he climbed to his feet. "Don't push it, DiNozzo."

-NCIS-

Ducky leaned back in his chair, contemplating the files on the table. They'd moved from the front parlor to the dining room when Ducky insisted they eat a decent meal. Despite their combined knowledge, none of the profiles was lining up to be their prime suspect. "How many of these men have you worked with, Mr. Kort?"

Kort looked over the list again as he added it up. "Five of them, plus one was a controller on an op I was on a few years ago. Never met him face to face, but talked to him daily for a week."

"All right, describe those six. Not individually, but as a group. What characteristics tied them all together?"

Letting his eyes close for a moment, Kort thought back. "No complaints about any of them, so they were competent in their jobs. Nothing about any of them stands out, not an expert in anything. None of them have any family, but most of us don't..." Kort straightened up and started going through the files very quickly, obviously looking for something in particular. "Of course."

"What did you remember?"

"It's not just wives and kids that they're missing. None of these men have any known family ties. Each is an only child, parents are deceased. Usually operatives with those circumstances are trained for the high risk ops."

"Because if they don't come home, there's no one around to miss them or ask questions?"

"Exactly. Agents with those kind of personal qualifications receive specialized training."

Now Ducky was looking through the files. "Here we go. John Blackwell, five and a half weeks at Ft. Amsterdam. Kyle Weston, four weeks at Ft. Amsterdam. They all washed out of the program."

"They're all expendable as far as my agency is concerned. A waste of the resources they spent training them and none of them smart enough to pull anything off."

"We are, as Gibbs would say, chasing our tail."

"Yeah." Kort had picked up one of the files and now threw it back down on the table in disgust. "We have nothing, it's a waste of time."

Ducky looked rather pleased instead of upset. "Au contraire, we have a great deal. It's time to move up the food chain. What can you tell me about your Assistant Director Daniels?"


	55. Chapter 55

Vance smiled and waved Gibbs in. "McGee staying home today? Everything all right?"

Gibbs took the offered chair and leaned back. "He's fine, meeting with our designer for the final details." His eyebrow went up when Vance started laughing. "What?"

"You have a designer, it just – boggles the mind."

"Funny, Leon. He's good and the changes are very comfortable. Nothing too fro-fro and he's working around anything that's important to us and making sure it all ties in."

"If you say so." Vance shook his head and got to why he called Gibbs upstairs. "Ryan's been granted bail this morning, but part of the agreement was that she have absolutely no contact with you or McGee."

"She better not come near him again. Is she being tracked?"

"Ankle bracelet and she's required to call in from a GPS capable phone on a regular basis."

"If anybody knows how to work around that, it would be Samantha Ryan."

Gibbs had a point, but Vance reminded him of one simple fact. "True, but at the moment she has much bigger fish to fry if she hopes to ever have any shot at getting her job back. If there's one thing we know about her is that she likes the power that came with her position. In the meantime, Jackie wants to have you and Tim over for dinner one night and I believe Jared is hoping for some help with math."

"Have her call Tim, whatever he sets up is fine with me."

Vance didn't even try to hide his smirk. "You are so whipped."

Gibbs climbed to his feet and winked. "Yep, and learning to enjoy every minute of it."

-NCIS-

"So, tell me about the house next door. Jethro said it needed a coat of paint before his dad moved in."

The neighbor had come to say his goodbyes and leave the key with Gibbs that morning "Yeah. At least a new coat of paint. It might need some more freshening up, but that's a good place to start." Tim stood up and picked up the key. "I haven't been in there since Jack made his offer, but it seemed kinda dark and dingy."

Tim slipped his coat on and after letting the security team know what they were doing, he and Chris went out the back door and across to the next house. Gibbs had removed one section of the fence already since it was damaged so it was easy to walk between the two houses without being seen by the rest of the neighborhood.

Chris's practiced eye took in every detail. "They had a dog?"

"Yeah, some sort of little poodle mix. Not particularly friendly and he really tore up their yard." In fact the dog had done the damage to the section of fencing Gibbs had removed and had dug up several of the flower beds. "Supposedly, he was acting out because of the move."

"Uh, sure." Chris looked like he wasn't buying it any more than Tim had. "You guys have a plan in place for the landscaping?"

"Oh, yes, Jethro has it all drawn out. The entire fence between the two houses is going and then we're going to expand the paths here to wrap around both yards. We'll build some raised beds high enough that Jack can garden without having to get down on the ground and Junior here is going to have a sand box and a swing set and when he's old enough we're going to build a tree house in that tree over there. Jethro has even started trimming the branches to get the best shape when it's time to build."

"Sounds like he's looking forward to it."

"We both are." Having arrived at the back door, Tim unlocked it before ushering Chris inside. "I know Jethro can spend the next week or so here every night painting and fixing the place up, but like I told him, I've got better things for him to be spending his evenings on."

"Oh, I bet you do." Chris held a serious expression for about five seconds before he cracked up, Tim too. "Okay, if he's anything like his son, I'm assuming Grandpa will want simple and casual."

Tim nodded, remembering the time he'd been in Stillwater. "He's got a lot of country antiques, oak and pine furniture, plus a lot of mementos from his travels. Simple and casual will work great. I know he doesn't want us fussing, but I'd like a fresh slate for him. I've got the money and I don't want either he or Jethro to have to worry about anything here for a while."

"That sounds good, how far do you want to go?"

"Definitely paint the whole inside." Tim walked down the hallway, looking at the floor. "This carpet is really on its last leg, isn't it?"

Chris bent down to run his hand over the path that could be seen from the living room into the kitchen. "I could get a truck mounted steam cleaner in here, but there's a lot of wear here."

"Okay, let's replace the carpet while we're at it. Something close to the color this originally was, but in something that won't mat down."

Chris already had his tablet out and was bringing up images. "Got just the thing. Trevor and I put it in three rental houses we own. Pretty inexpensive but it wears like a dream."

There were a half dozen color options and Tim picked the one that matched up with what he remembered about Jack's house. "That will look really nice. It's too bad they weren't able to move out a few weeks earlier, I would have had you redo the entire kitchen."

At Tim's comment, Chris walked into the kitchen and immediately saw what he meant. The builder's grade cabinets were old and tired and the appliances were definitely nearing the end of lifespan. He opened one of the upper cupboards and confirmed that they were made of particle board with plywood doors – not really worth refinishing or refacing. Chris took a few quick measurements before he turned back to Tim.

"If you're willing to go with stock, pre-finished cabinets and keep the same layout, we can get it done in time."

"Really?" Tim knew that Jack would have taken the place even if it had been a falling down shack just for the chance to live next door to them, but he wanted the elderly man to live in comfort and not have to worry. "Okay, let's do it."

The narrow time frame limited the choices available, but Chris and Tim were able to pick cabinets he really liked along with a new stove, dishwasher and refrigerator that the local home improvement store kept in stock. The flooring wasn't bad, but Tim knew it would look worse when surrounded by everything else brand new so he opted for a new vinyl floor in the kitchen.

To make sure that it would all arrive in time, Chris measured and ordered everything on the spot before doing a quick run-through of the rest of the house. It was a single level home with only one bathroom, but to his surprise that bathroom was obviously recent.

"Jethro said they did that about a year ago. Since they were coming over here to use his bathroom, he helped them get it done right and quick."

"That's great, we won't have to touch it then." Chris noticed a few other things, some scratches in the window trim and a cracked glass in one of the overhead lights in the hallway, but he had sources to take care of that for only a few dollars so he didn't even bother to mention them to Tim as he added them to his list. "Okay, I'm going to use the same crew I used for your house since they've already been vetted by Jethro's people and we're going to start tomorrow."

-NCIS-

"Thank you, Admiral McGee, it looks like you're going to be finishing ahead of schedule." Jarvis nodded to himself even though the other man couldn't see him over the phone. "I'd like you final report to be in person, here in DC. Plan on spending a few day here, catch up with your son in between meetings."

_Of course, Sir, if it would help the project._

Jarvis could hear the surprise in the other man's voice but didn't call him on it. He usually didn't meddle in the personal lives of his people, but he was willing to make an exception to give Agent McGee a stronger support system. If it were his son currently pregnant, he'd grasp at any chance to check up on him in person.

-NCIS-

Reviewing the plans for Jack's house had taken longer than he'd expected and Tim barely had enough time to eat before he was sitting down in front of his computer.

"Hi, Mom."

_Hi, Sweetheart, let me take a look at you. Penny said you're getting quite big._

Laughing, Tim stood and moved back from the web-cam until his entire belly came into the picture. "So, what do you think?" He watched her mouth open and close several times before any words came out.

_Wow, I thought Penny was exaggerating, but if anything she was holding back. How are you feeling? You can't be comfortable._

"I feel great, Mom. Jethro is taking very good care of me." His smile widened. "Very good care of me."

_Penny mentioned that, too. Are you sure this is what you want? You don't have to settle for the idea of giving up on finding the right person. Just because..._

"No, Mom, I'm not settling and I have found the right person. We love each other and I'm happy. I'm hoping that you'll be happy for me, too." Tim gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

_I'll try, Tim. So, tell me the plans for the nursery._

-NCIS-

"Hey, Boss, you want us to bring you back something to eat? You've been really going at those files today. We all worked straight through lunch and I'm starving."

Gibbs didn't even look up, but he had a smile on his face. "Nah, I want to get this done and signed off so I can get out of here."

"Really? Got something planned?" It took a glare from Gibbs and an elbow poke from Ziva before Tony realized he'd put his foot in it again. "Oh, yeah, okay. I assume you don't want company tonight?"

Ziva tried to save him – or not. "We will bring you back something high in protein, something that is good for stamina, yes?"

Tony was turning bright red. "They're boffing like bunnies already, Ziva. They don't need any help in the stamina department."

"You were concerned about Gibbs' age, were you not?"

Tony swallowed hard as blue eyes raised to pin him. "No, not concerned, impressed. I was impressed. Very, very impressed."

"Good save, DiNozzo. Now, get out of here." Gibbs chuckled to himself as his senior agent almost ran to the elevator. Once he was alone, he picked up his phone and dialed.

"Hey, how are you doing?"

_Hey, yourself. Lonely, but other than that I'm fine. Met with Chris, got the final details all worked out, Talked with my mom, showed her that Penny wasn't exaggerating about my size, told her that she wasn't exaggerating about us, either._

Gibbs was worried that his parents might be less that welcoming to the idea. "She going to be okay with that?"

_Eventually. She wants me to be happy, so as soon as she's had time to accept the fact that you make me happy, she'll be okay with it._

"What about your dad?"

_The Admiral is very happy with not getting a lot of details and I'm okay with that._

Gibbs sighed, trying to figure out the best way to help Tim get through to his father. Before he could come up with an idea, Tim was talking to him again.

_I gave up trying to live my life to please him a long time ago, Jethro. I may not have the life he wanted me to have, but I have a life filled with more purpose and more love and happiness than I ever thought possible. I think that's a pretty good trade._

_Now I'm going to go upstairs, get out of these clothes, and stretch out on our bed. How's the paperwork coming?_

That made him grin. "Working on the last report. Do you want me to stop for food on the way home?"

_Not exactly what I'm hungry for._

He had to subtly shift in his chair. "Damn, Timmy." The husky laugh he heard over the phone didn't help either.

_Hurry home, Jethro._

-NCIS-

Melissa McGee tilted her face up for the expected peck on the cheek when her husband arrived home. "I talked to Timothy today."

"That's nice, Dear. Aren't you ready yet?"

"Do we really have to go to the Officer's Club tonight? We haven't had an evening to ourselves in ages."

He was already changing into a fresh shirt and dress uniform. "The promotion list came out today, of course we're expected to be there. You'd better hurry, you haven't even put your hair up yet."

Her hand instinctively went to her head. "I thought I'd wear it down for a change."

"No. Remember, you are expected to represent how an officer's wife should present herself. Wear the green dress. It will be a nice reminder to them about not showing too much skin. Now hurry, I want to speak to the bandsmen about not playing so much contemporary music."

Already changed, he laid out the expected dress on the bed and left the room. Melissa sighed and started working on her hair as she contemplated cutting it short the next time he was aboard a ship and maybe burning his favorite dress. Or at least tearing the long sleeves off the dumpy thing.

Thirty minutes later she stared at herself in the mirror. The dull green might be her husband's idea of proper as it let his medals and ribbons shine when she stood next to him, but it made her feel old and tired. Remembering her conversation with her son, and his willingness to grab the joy in his life, she sighed. "Oh, Timothy, I envy you."

-NCIS-

Gibbs was just ready to walk out the door when Tony and Ziva arrived back. "Finish your reports and leave them on my desk. I'll look them over in the morning." Ziva had a bag in her hand that she handed to him.

"Dinner for two and it is all finger food. Enjoy."

The idea of feeding each other put a grin on Gibbs' face while Tony covered his face. "Thanks, Ziva, we will."

Once Gibbs had left, Tony finally looked around. "Should we warn the security detail to not get too close so they don't interrupt them?"

Cassie arrived in time to hear the question. "DiNozzo, I guarantee you everyone on security detail knows not to sneak into that house." She bounced on her heels and gave Ziva a wicked grin. "Of course now that they're upstairs, we don't have to worry about catching them naked on the way to the bathroom."

Tony covered his face again. "Oh, that's an image I really didn't want."

"Speak for yourself, Tony."

"Shut up, David."

-NCIS-

"Damn." Gibbs swallowed hard as he looked at the scene in front of him. Tim was propped up against the stack of pillows, flipping through the stack of gay sex position cards they'd been given. He was wearing the rich green robe loosely tied above his belly. The fabric draped around the new curves of his chest, but had slid apart just under the knot to frame his pregnant stomach and his long legs, the matching green bikini the only break in the pale flesh.

Tim looked up and smiled. "I meant to ask, was the mirror your idea?"

"Yeah." Gibbs came closer and set the bag on the dresser. "But Chris and Trevor added the chair. I hadn't thought that far ahead."

"It's the only way I can see your hands on me right now."

"I know."

"I like seeing your hands on me." Tim held up one of the cards that showed what he wanted. "Gonna like seeing your dick sliding in and out of me, too."

"Hell, yeah." Gibbs was already tugging his shirt off and tossed it aside as he bent down to kiss Tim. Eventually, they pulled apart and he rested his forehead on Tim's. "How about that plug to help stretch while we play?"

Tim nodded and Jethro sat up to remove his SIG. "Remind me to figure out how to program that lock box later, all right?"

"It's easy. I've got mine done, just need to add your fingerprints as the second authorized user."

"Later." Gibbs opened the second drawer and pulled out what he needed.

"Definitely."

Enjoying the view, Gibbs moved the strap to the side instead of removing Tim's underwear. As much as he enjoyed what he was doing, he was pretty efficient in getting him lubed up and the plug inside him. "You ready to sit on my lap?"

"Oh, yeah."

Gibbs pulled Tim to his feet before finishing stripping. Once he was naked he slowly untied the belt on Tim's robe, letting it fall open before taking it off of him, leaving him in just the bikini.

They walked to the chair and Gibbs sat down first before Tim settled onto him, back to chest so they could see themselves in the mirror. Gibbs helped him get his feet up onto the chair with his legs spread wide and ran his fingers up and down Tim's thighs.

He took a moment to just look. Tim's cock was already straining against the fabric, the green turned almost black where it was already wet with pre-come. Between his butt cheeks the bright blue of the plug could be seen peeking from behind the strap. "So beautiful."

"Yours, all yours." Tim relaxed back against Gibbs' chest and watched the strong hands as they explored his body.

Letting his hands wander, Gibbs pushed the button on the end of the plug, turning the vibrator on at its lowest setting before letting his hands settle on the front of Tim's underwear. The wet patch was growing and Gibbs circled his finger around the head of Tim's dick, feeling it get slippery. Becoming more aroused, Tim was grinding his ass against Gibbs, the vibrations transferring to Gibbs' cock.

"Oh, yeah." His cock was in between Tim's butt cheeks, the shaft rubbing up against the vibrator while the head was rubbing along the back of Tim's balls. "Want you."

"Yes." Tim started to raise up, then stopped. "Did you grab a condom?"

"What? No, shit." Gibbs reached back, but the nightstand was out of reach. "We could..."

"Nope, not bare. No matter how clean we are, I'm not risking you getting an infection."

"Damn it." Pressing his forehead against Tim's back, Gibbs let out a growl. Tim had been just as adamant about Jethro's safety as he'd been about Tim's. "Stop or keep going?"

"Keep going, but you're going to be in me for round two."

"Yeah." Gibbs pulled Tim closer, turned the vibrator on high and hung on for the ride.

-NCIS-

They'd made it back onto the bed and Gibbs had given them a quick once over with a washrag. He left the plug in Tim, turning it down to low. Even at that setting and after one climax he was still humming and rocking against the plug.

"I can't believe I forgot to grab one."

"I bet we won't forget it again."

"I'll do you one better." Gibbs jumped up and took a handful of condom packages and stuffed them along side the cushion of the chair. "Problem solved. Now, where were we?"

He brought the food back with him when he joined Tim on the bed. "Before we get too sidetracked, you should eat."

Tim ran his fingers down Gibbs body to circle around his dick. "You mean besides a protein drink?"


	56. Chapter 56

"Kort's here."

Ziva looked up from the file she was reviewing. "What?" Tony pointed up and she saw the CIA agent heading into Vance's office and he wasn't alone. "Ducky is with him."

Tony was already on his feet. "Care to take a walk?"

Vance wasn't surprised and waited until Tony and Ziva joined them before turning his attention to Trent Kort. "Okay, bring us up to speed."

"Yesterday the AD I report directly to summoned me into his office and handed me a stack of files. They were personnel files, not the official ones, but the ones that contain the deep backgrounds collected on each one of us. Files that were supposed to never see the light of day, but he insisted that the mole in our agency was hidden in one of those files."

Tony studied him. "How did Ducky get involved in this mole hunt? He's not an agent."

"No, he's not." Ducky looked like he was going to answer, but it was Kort that spoke first. "However, he is trained in psychological forensics and I've leaned to trust his judgment."

"Thank you, Mr. Kort. The praise made Ducky smile before he turned to Vance. "We worked into the wee hours, reviewing each of the files and found nothing that would link any of those men to Dr. Davidson or Timothy in any way. Then this morning, we started looking at the bigger picture."

Vance wasn't sure if this was good or bad. "Which was?"

"Every name on the list is a failure. They have dropped out or been expelled from training and have no one that would be missing them."

"Perfect fall guys."

"Exactly, DiNozzo. That means the cover-up goes higher than we'd originally thought."

Vance considered calling Gibbs in for this discussion, but decided to wait until they had more information. "Your Assistant Director?"

Kort glanced over at Ducky, letting him take over. "I've spent most of the day grilling our friend here about every interaction and contact he has had with Assistant Director Daniels. The man is obsessed with the appearance of power, but I don't believe he has any."

"Somebody is pulling his strings?"

"I believe so, Director Vance."

"Kort, you know your agency. Anyone you suspect?"

"Just as we have agents that are nothing but ghosts, we have ghosts in charge of ghost divisions." Kort gave a wry smile. "Believe it or not, there are those in my agency that consider me too above board to be trusted with those details and I've chosen to not look too closely into certain corners – at least up until now."

"And going forward from here?"

"Let's just say that after having survived an attack right out in the open, I'm becoming a little more aware of how long it's been since the corners had a proper cleaning."

Tony wasn't convinced. "You think you're the right one to clean up?"

"You got somebody else in mind?" Kort leaned forward and glared at DiNozzo for a minute before settling back in his chair. "Rule number one, you don't soil your own bed. They broke that when they went after me in public, in our own building. They might not be willing to go after him directly, but they'll look the other way if I get close."

"A regular dog eat dog world, Kort?"

"You have no idea, DiNozzo."

-NCIS-

"Oh, yeah." Tim groaned in pleasure as he settled onto Jethro's sheathed and lubed cock, grinning as took all of it. From behind him, blue eyes met his in the mirror.

"Like that?"

"Sure do." Still making eye contact, Tim flexed his muscles, clamping down on the cock inside him before relaxing a bit. He smiled as Gibbs gave his own moan and ground up against him.

"Damn, Timmy."

Gibbs was the only person in the world that could make such an endearment sound sexy and needy at the same time. He shifted enough that he could lay back against Jethro's chest and look up for a kiss. Gibbs did just that, a long and lingering kiss as they slowly fanned the flames.

-NCIS-

"Good morning." Ziva was beaming at them as they walked into the lab and Abby bounced up to give them both a hug.

"I am so glad you're working today, McGee. The Pentagon team just sent over five laptops, all heavily encrypted."

Tim smiled as he peeled Abby off of him and accepted the smoothie from Ziva. "All right, I'm ready to work on something other than the way they twisted reality for Dr. Banks. Hand me one and lets get started."

Even as he accepted one of the laptops, Tim turned to Gibbs with a smile for his goodbye kiss and the two women just beamed at them. Gibbs was chuckling as he took his coffee from the tray Ziva was carrying and followed her out the door.

In the elevator, she smiled at him. "McGee certainly has that healthy pregnancy glow about him. Or at least something has him glowing."

"Ziva..."

"I am happy for both of you, Gibbs. We all are, even if the idea of sex bothers Tony a bit. After all, we never want to think about our parents having such an active sex life."

"Ziva..."

The elevator arrived at their floor and she laughed as she stepped out. "As I said, I am happy for the both of you and watching Tony become embarrassed is just... frosting on the doughnut."

"Cake, Ziva, it's icing on the cake." Tony had heard the last of her words and realized he didn't know what she'd been talking about. "What did I miss?"

Ziva took her tea and handed Tony the last drink from the carrier. "You probably do not want to know, Tony." He gave her the look and she shrugged. "Fine, we were talking about Gibbs' and McGee's sex life."

Tony choked on his first sip. "You're right, I didn't want to know."

-NCIS-

"So, how about Thursday night? I'll make a big batch of my jambalaya, but make it mild, and maybe you'll do that cheese thing again?" She gave him her most pitiful look. "Tony barely let any of the rest of us have any."

Tim chuckled as he shook his head. Apparently that was his assigned dish from here to eternity. "Sure, Abby, as long as we don't end up catching a case, it's fine with me. I'll check with Jethro, but go ahead and plan on it. What?"

Abby was grinning so wide he'd have thought it would hurt her cheeks. "Oh, nothing, it's just so sweet to see the two of you together and to hear you call him Jethro."

"He's the father of my child and the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. Of course I'm going to call him by his name." Smiling to himself, Tim copied the hard drive and started working.

"Maybe we can invite Ducky?"

"What?" Engrossed in his work, Tim hadn't heard the entire question.

"Ducky has been working with Trent Kort to find who at the CIA is after you. I think he deserves dinner for all that hard work and putting up with Kort."

"Weren't you the one that bought Kort pajamas while he was in the hospital?"

"Well, yeah."

Having made his point, Tim patted her hand while he silently wondered what new developments he'd missed. "Sure, we can ask Ducky to join us."

-NCIS-

"You should have called me back in, Leon." Gibbs paced around the office as he glared at the Director. "We had a right to know."

"And if they'd found anything new, I would have called you. So far, all Kort and Dr. Mallard have been able to do is eliminate some possible suspects."

Gibbs was still pacing. "I hate this."

"I know you do, Jethro. If I were in your place I would, too. SecNav's got feelers out, Kort is really sticking his neck out and we've upped the security. McGee's still documenting his pregnancy, right? Lots of pictures? He's keeping everything secure?" Gibbs stopped pacing long enough to stare at Vance until he got the point. "Of course he's documenting and keeping everything secure."

"Ya think?"

Vance circled around the desk to sit on the corner. "I'm not going to tell you not to worry about the CIA because you should be worried. Hell, we're all worried, but don't let it take over your lives. Concentrate on your future. Heck just think, in a little more than fifteen years, that boy of yours will be ready to drive."

Gibbs rubbed the side of his face as he nodded, then smiled as he thought about he and Tim buying an old car and fixing it up with their son. That would be fun. Driving, on the other hand... he was still thinking about that when he walked back into the bullpen and saw Ziva.

"You are not teaching my son to drive."

"What?" Baffled, Ziva looked at Tony for help, but he just laughed.

"Got to agree with the Boss on that one."

-NCIS-

Tim usually worked on his pregnancy book once or twice a week and when Gibbs saw the file open that night he leaned closer. "Let's see the pictures."

"Okay." It was a multistage process to get into the file on his computer, even with the word document open and Tim explained as he typed. "The photos aren't fancy. I wanted the same angle and distance each time, so I set the camera in the same spot and use the remote."

The file was finally open and Tim set it as a slide show. Gibbs watched as the small bump that had been visible when he'd been rescued grew larger and rounder and his formerly flat chest developed soft curves. The slide show stopped with the most recent profile shot and Tim shook his head.

"Another few weeks I'm going to need a bra. That's going to be interesting."

Tim had changed into his non-work pregnancy uniform – stretchy yoga pants and an old t-shirt – and Gibbs cupped his chest through the thin fabric, rubbing his thumbs over Tim's nipples. "Not the end of the world if they get that big for a while. I'll enjoy them at any size." He thought for a moment. "The tissue is basically the same for men and for women, right?"

"Yeah. That's why men can get breast cancer. I mean, it's rare, but it does happen. Why?"

"Are you going to be able to nurse?"

It was a few seconds before Tim answered, but his voice was curious, not repulsed by the idea. "In theory, I could. I'm not sure how long my body would support it after he's born and my hormones start to go back to normal. That's something to ask Dr. Hughes when we see her on Friday."

Gibbs still wasn't sure how Tim felt about it. "Do you want to?"

"Yeah." Tim turned to look at him, a slightly bashful look on his face. "Yeah, I think I do. Even if I was only able to do it for a few weeks, that's the most important time. It wouldn't creep you out if I was able to nurse him?"

Gibbs moved closer, pressing his chest against Tim's back, and kissed him right below the ear. "I can just imagine it. Our son in your arms, suckling at your breast while I hold the both of you. I can't imagine anything more beautiful."

"Oh, Jethro."


	57. Chapter 57

_Tobias._

Fornell winced as he heard her voice over the phone It was way too early in the day to be dealing with his ex-wife. "Diane, is there a problem? Is Emily all right?"

_Emily is fine. Tell me about Jethro._

"What about him?" Knowing this wasn't going to end well, Fornell started digging through his desk drawer for his bottle of antacid.

_Don't play dumb with me, he's met someone hasn't he?_

"And if he has?"

_Tobias, you and I both know there's not a woman alive that he would be able to settle for in the long haul. I mean, if he couldn't with... well, let's not go there, but this will be a disaster._

"No, I don't think it will." Deliberately chewing the antacids as loudly as he could, he kept the phone close to his face. "I think this time he might have found the one that will finally let him move on. He's happy, Diane. For the first time since Shannon died, I think he's truly happy."

_But... _

"No buts, Diane. Don't try to mess this up for him. Just leave him alone, you hear me?"

_But..._

"I mean it, Diane." This time there was silence for a moment.

_You really think he's happy?_

"Yeah, I do. Happier than I've ever seen him." Another pause.

_Fine._

Fornell pulled his phone away from his ear and stared at it when he heard the dial tone. He'd always known she still carried a torch for Gibbs, but it had never crossed his mind to prepare her for the changes in his life. There wasn't much he could do at the moment, but after his tactical session with Homeland Security today, he'd swing by and give his old friend fair warning.

-NCIS-

Tim leaned back in his seat and sighed. He hated to admit it, but working shorter days was a lot easier on him right now.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it just seems funny to be leaving work in the middle of the afternoon."

Gibbs glance down at the digital clock on the Magnum's dash. "We're actually only leaving an hour earlier than the normal end of day. You're just still used to working twelve hour days."

"I suppose. I still feel bad that I'm not carrying my own weight at the Agency right now."

That made Gibbs chuckle as he reached over to rub his hand over Tim's belly. "You're carrying your weight and then some. Don't worry about it, everybody that knows is impressed that you're still working at all. Now, do we need to stop at the store for anything? Got enough cheese?"

Tim rolled his eyes as Gibbs pulled back and put both hands on the wheel again. "Abby asked me three times today. I bought a whole case at Thanksgiving and there's plenty left."

Pulling into the driveway and seeing their Christmas display made both men smile. Brown, one of the newer members of the security team joined them as the car came to a stop. "Everything's secure, and we put your package inside just like you asked, Agent McGee." She beamed at the two men before returning to her post.

"Package?" Gibbs helped Tim out of the car and looked at him, expectantly. Tim smiled and started walking up the path.

"I've just been wearing old t-shirts at home, but even my biggest ones are too small now to be comfortable. Trevor is working on probably the last suit that can hide my shape, but he helped me find some shirts for at home."

Gibbs nodded at that. He liked seeing Tim in clothes that really showed off his growing shape and he really liked that Tim was comfortable enough at home to do just that. "Gonna wear one tonight?"

"That's the plan." Tim picked up the package and headed for the stairs. "You want to chop up the cheese for me?"

"Sure." Gibbs didn't need to use any of his investigative skills to know that Tim wanted a few minutes of privacy while he changed. He hoped that it was to surprise him and not any residual nervousness about the changes his body was going through.

In truth, Tim was a little nervous, but not about what Gibbs was worried about, not really. The yoga style pants had been easy. Penny had bought the first pair, he'd just typed the item number into the website and then ordered one in every color. Another pair of black, then a pair each in gray, brown, dark green and navy. The pictures had shown pregnant women, but he'd deliberately not looked closely at any image. This time he and Trevor had actually searched through the website, eliminating the tops that had ruffles or flowers on them, then narrowing down to the ones that didn't scream feminine. No matter what though, Tim had knowingly and willingly made a conscious decision to buy women's clothing.

Taking a deep breath, he cut open the package and took out the clothing, laying each one on the bed before studying them. Laid flat, they didn't look too much different from many shirts you'd find in the men's department. He removed and carefully hung up his suit and tossed his button front shirt in the hamper before pulling on a pair of the yoga pants. The next pair in the stack had been the navy blue, which dictated which shirt he was going to wear, eliminating the decision for him. Dusty blue, it was unbelievably soft and stretchy. Adjusting the fabric over his stomach, Tim stared at his reflection in the mirror.

-NCIS-

Cheese diced up and tossed in the pan he's seen Tim use every time, Gibbs wiped his hands and looked up at the ceiling. He'd heard Tim moving around a few times, but now it was silent. Decision made, he went upstairs.

The bedroom door was open a crack and Gibbs pushed it ever so slightly. Tim was standing, dressed, staring at the mirror. He didn't move as he acknowledged Jethro's arrival. "It's okay, you can come in."

His voice didn't give away anything about how he was feeling, but Gibbs took in every detail as he walked closer. A half dozen colored shirts were on the bed, along with a handful of white ones, but they were laid out neatly, not a jumbled mess. Not like what he'd learn to expect when Stephanie or Diane were having a clothing crisis. That detail filed away, he stood in back of Tim, looking at him in the mirror, seeing what Tim was seeing.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Tim's smile and greeting had been slightly tentative so Gibbs trailed his fingertips up Tim's arms and kissed the back of his neck. "It looks good."

"Really? It's not too girly?"

Now Gibbs fully understood and gave the outfit another look. It had a slight scoop neck, just enough to show the base of his throat, and sleeves that ended just above his elbows. What made it a definite maternity top was the row of gathers down the side seams that allowed the fabric to cup his belly before wrapping snugly around his hips. "Nah. I've seen DiNozzo wearing the same neckline."

"You can kind of see that I'm getting breasts."

Gibbs looked closer. The increased tissue mass under his nipples was visible if you knew what to look for. "You and I can see it, but I don't think anyone else can yet. You remember what I told you I see when I look at you?"

Tim smiled as he remembered the conversations they'd had, especially after Ryan had tricked her way in. "Yeah."

"Good." Gibbs wrapped his arms around Tim. "The changes in your body are a sign of just how strong you are, you know that. As much as I enjoy the changes," they both smiled at that, "it's your strength I see first. Always."

"I love you." Tim turned in his arms to look him directly in the eye. "More than I thought I could ever love anyone."

Gibbs started to kiss him but they both heard a car pull into the driveway. Instead, Tim pulled back and laughed. "I'm beginning to think our friends have the worst timing in the world."

"You're just now figuring that out?"

-NCIS-

Gibbs arrived downstairs to find that it wasn't Abby or Ducky arriving, it was Fornell. "Tobias, what are you doing here?"

"Just giving you a heads-up. Our mutual ex-wife is sniffing around. Apparently, she's heard a rumor that you've got someone new in your life and that it's serious."

"Really?" Arms crossed over his chest, Gibbs could hear Tim coming down the stairs behind him, so he kept his attention on Fornell, waiting to see his reaction. It didn't take long.

"Yeah, I told her that you were happy and to leave you alone, but you know – whoa, mama." Fornell stared as Tim came down the last few steps.

"Agent Fornell, how are you?"

Fornell continued to stare until a headslap broke him out of his stupor. "Damn it, Gibbs."

"You back with us?"

"What? Yeah, umm... don't take this the wrong way, McGee, but, wow."

Tim wasn't one to tease the FBI agent, but the amusement on Gibbs' face gave him the encouragement. Turning so that he was in profile to the stunned man, Tim struck a traditional 'pregnant' pose with his fingers interlaced under his belly and slightly leaning back to show off his now large bump. "Did you forget I was pregnant, Agent Fornell?"

Fornell was still staring at his belly. "Can you feel him?"

"This is one of his busiest times of the day." To prove his point, Tim grabbed Fornell's hand and pressed it against the spot where the baby was currently stretching. Tim and Jethro both chuckled as Fornell's eyes went wide.

"Wow, I mean, I knew, but I didn't really know, you know?" As his own words caught up with him, he looked up in horror. "Oh, my God, I'm channeling DiNutzo."

Now openly laughing, Tim let go of him and turned toward the kitchen. "Nah, he's fine about the baby. It's our sex life that's got him all rattled." Tim knew that Jethro was enjoying the view as he walked out of sight.

Fornell blinked and then saw that Gibbs was intently watching Tim's ass as he went around the corner. Once it was just the two of them, he slapped Gibbs' arm. "You old dog."

Gibbs just grinned back at him, enjoying the expression on Fornell's face as much as he was enjoying the fact that Tim was teasing his old friend. "What can I say, when you've got it, you've got it."

-NCIS-

The departure of Fornell and the arrival of Ducky and Abby in separate cars kept the driveway busy for a few minutes, especially when Gibbs turned on the Christmas lights for the three of them to see the full effect. Fornell was still shaking his head, but Abby squealed and clapped at the Grinch. Even Ducky was smiling. "I must admit it was a surprise, but it suits you, my friend."

Gibbs gave a laugh as he ushered them into the house. "Must admit it was fun to see the neighbors' reactions." To prove his point, someone drove by honking and waving as they walked through the door.

Since he was carrying the pot of jambalaya Gibbs continued into the kitchen as Abby and Ducky got a good look at McGee.

"Timothy, I must admit no mater how many times I see you..." Ducky stopped and shook his head. "My compliments to your tailor, but it is wonderful to see you so relaxed at home."

-NCIS-

"Really, McGee, you didn't give us much of a list." Abby finished dishing up the jambalaya before shaking the spoon at him. "I don't think there's one thing on your baby registry that costs more than twenty-five dollars."

Tim leaned back to avoid the splatter of spicy sauce. "Abby, we have plenty of money and I don't really feel comfortable picking out a bunch of expensive stuff and telling everybody to buy it for us."

She still looked determined, so Ducky cut in as he took the spoon away from her. "Perhaps as a compromise, Timothy and Jethro would consider using the celebration of this wee one's eminent arrival as an opportunity to collect donations for children in less fortunate circumstances. As I understand it, there are several domestic violence shelters in the area where mothers and their children arrive with little more than the clothes on their backs."

"That's a great idea, Ducky." Tim jumped on the suggestion immediately and turned to Abby with a smile as he laid his hand on his belly. "Jethro and I don't have to worry about money, not really. Certainly not like the women in the shelters and I can't imagine a better way to honor our little guy than to help some of those kids."

"Well..." In truth, she loved Ducky's suggestion, but she'd had her heart set on spoiling her honorary nephew and knew Tony and Ziva felt the same way.

Tim, however, was adamant. "Buy him one thing that you really want him to have and then spend the rest on giving some other kids a taste of happiness, okay?"

Gibbs was nodding, too, and Abby couldn't stand up to both of the men. "Okay, I'll let everyone know."

"Thank you, Abby."


	58. Chapter 58

**a/n - Two stories today. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>"Well, everything is still looking good, Tim. How are you feeling, any questions?" She didn't have to ask how things were going on the personal front as that was obvious to anyone that looked at the pair.<p>

"Actually, I do have one question." Tim glanced over at Gibbs, his smile growing wider before he continued. "With all the changes my body is going through, we were wondering if it was going to be possible for me to nurse the baby, at least for a few weeks. I've done some research and there's been cases..."

She had to blink a the question. She'd been going with the assumption that McGee would want his body to be back to totally male as soon as possible. "Yes, I know of some scattered cases. Right now your body probably won't recognize the signals to produce milk without some encouragement, but it that's what you want to do, we can make that a goal. I can't guarantee how much milk you will produce or how long it will last, but you're right. Even just the colostrum at the beginning will be very beneficial to the baby."

"So, what do we do?"

"Well, for starters, we need to get your nipples trained and toughened up and your breasts used to the mechanics of feeding. We can get you a breast pump to use daily or Jethro can do it the old-fashioned way." When Gibbs grinned at the suggestion, she grinned back. "We'll start with the old-fashioned way, then when you get a little closer to term we'll add in some herbal supplements. A lactation tea to begin with and then a stronger mix in a capsule. The pharmacy here can't do it, but I can get the mix made up at and sent. That usually does the trick, but I've only every prescribed it for women, of course. There's also a few drugs we can use to help get things started if all else fails. Realize that no matter how successful this is, you're probably going to have to supplement with formula."

"I know, but I really want to try this."

"All right, then. Jethro, you know what to do – regular and often. Tim, I know that you like to research, but whatever ideas you find, bring to me before you try anything, all right?"

"Of course."

-NCIS-

"Parkway is closed, it's going to be a bear getting back."

"We could loop around, take the back way. What time do you have to be back at the Yard?"

Gibbs glanced down at the clock. "We've got time. You hungry?

"I could eat." Tim looked around at where they were and straightened up. "Ooh. We're just a couple of blocks away from..."

Switching lanes to the side Tim was looking at, Gibbs had to laugh at the expression on his face. "Where to?"

"Two blocks, then take a right and another right. It'll be just around that corner."

It was only a couple of blocks if you consider each block a mile long, but it was apparently someplace Tim liked, so Gibbs was happy to oblige him. "I assume they do take out?"

"Yeah, and the best fries in all of Maryland."

That got Gibbs' attention and he eventually found a place to park where he could see the car from inside the restaurant. It bothered him, but he knew it was safer for Tim to stay in the car than to go inside with him. "Okay, what do you want to eat, besides fries?"

Flashing a quick grin, Tim still had to think about it. "I want their Greek... no, I want the Wellington... no... yes, the Wellington."

"All right. Keep the doors locked." He knew that Tim had his shoulder holster on and wasn't helpless, but he still hurried and watched the car closely. The restaurant wasn't too busy as it was between the lunch and dinner rush and twenty minutes later he was back in the car. There was a park only a few blocks from there (Gibbs' idea of a block, not Tim's), so that's where they headed.

Gibbs had set the bag on the floor of the back seat and the smell was driving Tim up the wall. He couldn't tell what all had been bought as the fragrances mingled. "I could have held the bag."

"Don't want to risk getting grease on your suit." However the grin on Jethro's face told Tim that his suit was the least of the reasons.

After listening to Tim debate with himself about which burger to get, Gibbs had checked both of them out. The Wellington was a burger version of a Beef Wellington with tons of slowly roasted mushrooms and a pile of caramelized onions with garlic and a stone ground mustard sauce topped with black truffles and a sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese. Knowing Tim's love of mushrooms, that sounded like a no-brainer, then he read the details on the Greek Sandwich. Ground lamb seasoned with cumin, mint and garlic and topped with a freshly made tzatziki sauce and feta cheese.

He had planned on getting one of each and sharing them, then he read the next thing down on the menu and a lobster sandwich was added to the order along with the fries Tim wanted. As the waitress was ringing up his order a platter of onion rings came out of the kitchen and when she saw the look on his face she was adding it in before he could even ask. All in all, it filled the large bag they'd put his order in and would probably do them for both a late lunch and dinner later that night.

Gibbs parked the car near the playground. Since school was still in session there were only a few younger children there with their parents. Tim nodded at a little guy learning to climb the ladder for the slide, his dad standing behind him, supporting him. "That's going to be us in a few years."

That almost took his breath away. "Yeah, it will." Gibbs reached out and spread his fingers over Tim's belly. "I can't wait."

"Neither can I."

Exchanging smiles, Gibbs brought the box up and set it between them and they dug into it. Gibbs used his knife to cut everything into pieces and he quickly understood why Tim had such a hard time deciding which burger to order, but he thought the lobster was his favorite. They ate their fill and still had over half the order left.

Tim snagged one of the fries and leaned back in his seat. "That really hit the spot."

"I wouldn't mind making the drive again."

"It's really nice to get out, but there's on in DC and another one in Alexandria. In fact, I think there's one in Arlington, but I've never been to that one."

"This is a chain?"

"Yeah, they're all up and down the East coast."

"And we could have been having this for lunch for years instead of that crap DiNozzo brings back?

"Umm, yeah."

"Then why haven't we? You used to make the lunch run sometimes."

"Always with specific orders from either Tony or Ziva." Eyebrow raised, Tim just looked at Gibbs who realized he was right.

Gibbs pointed at what was left of the lobster and Greek sandwiches. "Next week, I'm going here for one of our lunches and let DiNozzo drool. Wednesday, when he always brings back those soggy burgers."

"He loves those things and you always eat them."

"In the Corps you eat what you're given, but if you've got a choice..." Gibbs popped the last onion ring in his mouth with a grin.

-NCIS-

"Thank you, ma'am, if we have any further questions, we'll be in touch." Fornell thanked his witness with a nod and turned away as she left. Luckily the case was pretty routine as his mind was still on his visit with Gibbs and McGee last night, not to mention the late night visit he'd had from their joint ex-wife. He'd handled it badly, he knew that now.

_"Tobias, maybe you couldn't talk over the phone, but I really want to hear what you know about Jethro. Is it true that..."_

_He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Not now, Diane."_

_"But..."_

_"Don't ask me to break a confidence, Diane." Remembering the sight of McGee's obviously pregnant form still had him rattled and he knew it showed._

_"Fine, I'll go see him myself."_

_"No. Just leave him alone. Things are – complicated – and you'll just make it worse."_

She'd huffed and stormed off, but he was worried that wasn't going to be the last of it. He really needed to get his head on straight if he was going to deal with her effectively. Walking past a store, he saw a baby sized baseball outfit and grinned. He might be uncomfortable with seeing such an obvious pregnant belly on a man, but he was thrilled his old friend was going to be a dad again. Pulling out his wallet he walked into the store. A quick detour was in order.

-NCIS-

Diane paced around her kitchen. Emily was spending the night with a friend and Victor was wherever he would hide when he didn't want to deal with their marriage. She couldn't get what Carol had told her out of her mind. Jethro was going to be a father. Two conversations with Tobias and he hadn't confirmed what she'd been told, but he was obviously distracted and nervous about whatever was going on. She'd been married to him long enough to know when he was holding something back. The only way she was going to get an answer was directly from the horse's mouth.

Decision made, she tossed the dishtowel onto the counter and picked up her keys. It was time to take a drive.

-NCIS-

Even a blind man would have noticed how much Tim had enjoyed the detour and lunch that afternoon. Thinking about it, Gibbs realized that even though he hadn't complained, Tim had to be going stir-crazy from being cooped up either at home or at the Yard. With all the Christmas lights going, he thought a drive might be a fun treat. He hadn't done that since his last Christmas home with Shannon and Kelly.

"Hey, grab your coat, okay?"

Tim levered himself off the sofa. "Sure, we get a call-out?"

Gibbs knew without a doubt, if he'd said the team needed him, Tim would have waddled out to a crime scene, kit in hand. "Nah, thought we'd take a drive, check out some of the other lights.

"Really?" Tim took his heavy coat down off the rack.

"Is that going to be too warm in the car?" Gibbs knew Tim tried to hide his shape when there was a chance to be seen, but he wanted him to be comfortable. They'd been home for a few hours so Tim had already ditched the suit for the day. The sweater he was wearing was warm and comfortable "It's dark and we'll be in the car."

Tim hesitated for just a second before putting that coat back up and taking down his lighter weight jacket. When he wasn't pregnant it was his usual coat when driving and it felt nice to slip it on again. Of course now it didn't come anywhere near closing in the front and did nothing to hide his shape.

-NCIS-

Diane cursed as she arrived in Jethro's neighborhood. She'd forgotten about the dueling light displays across from his house and the traffic that always snarled the narrow road from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve.

Slowed down by the cars looking at the lights, she just caught a glimpse of her ex-husband as he helped someone into the passenger seat of a car she didn't recognize. Whoever his guest was, she was obviously pregnant, which meant Carol had been right.

Someone was controlling traffic, which Diane thought was a long overdue improvement until she realized that they were only stopping the cars to let Jethro and his guest out of the driveway. It had been a few years since she'd been married to any armed federal agents, but she recognized a security detail when she saw one.

Hoping to catch up with them, she almost missed the light display at Gibbs' house, but the car in front of her stopped and several hands pointed at the illuminated Grinch. By the time she had her mind wrapped around the fact that her holiday hating ex-husband had the most humorous Christmas display in the neighborhood, she'd lost track of him. Slapping the steering wheel, she turned at the next intersection and pointed her car home to review her options.

-NCIS-

"I still like ours the best." They'd had fun checking out the lights and were now back home, Tim stretched out on the bed in just his little briefs. Gibbs took the tube from his hand and started working the cocoa butter into the taut skin across his belly.

"Yeah, I do, too. I'll really be laughing when the neighbors are bitching about their power bills, too."

Tim smiled and brushed his hair back out of his face. "There is that. Of course all their lights just make ours even funnier."

"True. Anything in particular you want to get done this weekend?" Gibbs grinned and leaned closer. "Besides getting your nipples toughened up?"

"Mostly that." Tim leaned back a bit, arching his torso to show off his chest. "Do some research about make lactation and breastfeeding. Chop off my hair. Take some measurements in the laundry room to see if we can fit a freezer in there. Everybody's offering to make us food for when the baby arrives, but we don't have enough space in that little fridge."

"Is that a tactful way of mentioning that our refrigerator is small and outdated?"

"I would have referred to it as a cherished antique."

"Funny." Gibbs gave a little shrug. That little refrigerator was fine for one person that rarely ate at home and was way too small for the two of them. He could only imagine how much worse it would be with juice, formula and baby food. He could see the point about the freezer even with a new fridge. He tended to buy one piece of meat at a time, while Tim liked to watch the sales and stock up. It was a lot more cost effective, but not really do-able with their current setup.

"Okay, you pick out what you want and we'll get it. I'll also see about getting my barber to come out to the house." He leaned close and ran his hand across Tim's head. "You just need a trim, not a chop." From there, he pulled Tim in for a deep kiss before shifting down to suck on his nipples.


	59. Chapter 59

a/n - Two stories, two big chapters today. Have fun.

* * *

><p>Determined, Diane drove over to Gibbs' house first thing in the morning. There were a handful of workmen next door which worked in her favor. Even better, she recognized the guard coming over to stop her as she parked.<p>

"Ma'am, you really shouldn't be here." Dorneget took a deep breath and braced himself.

Planning her every move, Diane crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him. "Are you saying that Jethro is scared to see me? He sent _you_ to stop me?"

Dorney winced at the question. "I'm just doing my job, ma'am. Really. Maybe you could write him a letter?"

"A letter? Please, is that the best you can do? He's going to talk to me. Jethro? JETHRO, I know you're in there."

-NCIS-

Gibbs was in the kitchen starting the coffee when he heard the commotion outside. He listened for a moment and realized that Dorneget was in over his head. He was just opening the front door when she started yelling his name.

"Diane, what is the problem?" Barefoot, he walked down to the bottom step and glared at her. She kept her voice raised, gathering attention from the crew arriving next door.

"What's the problem? What kind of a question is that? You've got all these changes in your life and now you've got guards – not that they're very good," she glared at Dorneget, "so something is obviously very wrong."

When Gibbs glared at her, she moved closer and lowered her voice just a bit. "I know you're going to be a father again, Jethro. So, who is she? Why is she a danger to you? Did she trick you into getting her pregnant? You know I'm going to find out one way or another."

Knowing that she was right about that, Gibbs stepped aside and let her come up onto the porch and then took her arm and escorted her into the house. Over his shoulder he saw Dorneget mouth the words _I'm sorry._

They got as far as the entry way and Gibbs stopped, listening to hear where Tim was located. He heard some movement in the kitchen and kept Diane from going any further. "Diane..."

"I know you, Jethro. You're not the kind of man to accidentally get a woman pregnant so it had to be her. She tricked you somehow, or she's lying to you."

"Diane," at this point, Gibbs didn't know if she was madder at him or at the 'mother' of his child. "Neither one of us actually consented, but now we're happy – really happy."

She frowned, trying to make sense of what he said. "Neither of you consented? What does that even mean, Jethro?"

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to figure out a way to satisfy her without actually telling her anything.

-NCIS-

In the kitchen, Tim was searching through the cabinets when he heard Gibbs go outside. He continued to look for something to satisfy his cravings and was still in the kitchen when he heard Gibbs come back in with someone. It didn't take long for him to realize who that person was. While he listened, he remembered everything he could about Diane. As willing as she was to do something to Jethro when she was mad, she also would do anything for him under the right circumstances as she still carried a torch for her first ex-husband. He listened for a few more minutes before taking a deep breath. Decision made, he moved closer to the living room, but still out of sight before he called out to Gibbs.

-NCIS-

Diane always knew when when he was lying, something Gibbs hated and respected about her as he tried to figure out what to say. She'd been furious and now she seemed to want to save him from his current situation, refusing to accept that he was happy with the cards he'd been dealt. He was already feeling dizzy as her mood bounced back and forth and she'd only been there for a few minutes. For not the first time he wondered exactly how he'd survived being married to her.

"Can you accept that this is what I want and I'm happy?"

She squinted one eye and crossed her arms in front of her as she studied him, never a good sign. "Tell me this – if everything is so hunky-dory, why do you need guards surrounding the house? What did she get you into?"

Gibbs' mouth opened and closed several times. He was tempted, but the decision really wasn't his. Tim's voice came softly from the kitchen. "Jethro, do you trust her?"

After hearing the question, Gibbs looked closely at Diane, who was giving him an encouraging smile. If nothing else, her ego would now want to prove just how trustworthy she was, a fact that Tim was probably counting on. One thing was for sure, if he sent her away without some sort of resolution, it would only get worse. "The guards are there because someone wants to kill us. Not so much me, but they want to make sure our child is never born and they're willing to kill anyone that stands between them and our child. I've already buried one child, Diane..."

At the reminder of that loss, Diane blinked back tears. "Let me help, Jethro, I have different resources. Tell me what happened."

"I was kidnapped, Diane. Kidnapped along with Tim and Tony and Director Vance. Vance, DiNozzo and I were released a couple of days later, still unconscious." He waited for her to ask the obvious question.

"Why didn't they release Chucky?"

"They took samples from the rest of us, but they made Tim the test subject."

Frowning, she shook her head. "I don't understand. What kind of tests, and what would Tim being the test subject have to do with you becoming a father?"

He'd heard footsteps and looked over as Tim joined them. Diane saw his focus shift and looked over. "Oh, my God."

-NCIS-

Diane wasn't sure if Jethro was still talking to her or not. She couldn't hear anything over the buzzing in her ears as she stared at McGee. She'd complained about him being so baby-faced before but now it seemed even worse. Looking closer, she realized that he didn't look younger, but softer. The logical corner of her mind reminded her that was the hormonal changes from being pregnant, but she couldn't help but stare.

He was wearing the at home uniform of pregnant bodies everywhere, stretchy pants and a soft, clingy top that wasn't completely pulled down over his expansive belly. A scar crossed the visible skin and she winced at the sight. Whatever had been done to him to cause this was obviously more invasive than a few hormone shots and a session with a turkey baster.

She reached out without even realizing. "Can I..?"

Tim understood what she meant. All the anger was gone from her voice and he stepped closer.

Diane touched the skin just above the scar, following it across and up his belly. "Did it hurt?"

He shook his head. "I never felt it. They kept me sedated for weeks after the surgery so that I couldn't do anything to disrupt the process. Then they chained me up. I was still chained when Jethro rescued me."

"You must have been so scared."

Tim looked over at Gibbs. "Not really, I knew Jethro would find me."

The hardest part of her marriage to Jethro had been the realization that she would never touch the deepest part of his heart. Eventually, she learned about Shannon and suspected that no woman would ever fill that spot again. Now looking at the two of them, with the love absolutely shining on Tim's face and the happiness on Jethro's, she understood and almost laughed at herself for just now figuring it out. She shut her eyes for a second as she closed that faint hope in her heart. "I get it and I'm happy for you both."

Gibbs didn't have a clue what she claimed to have gotten, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he just nodded his thanks, grateful that the crisis seemed to have been adverted, at least for now.

Also apparently satisfied, Tim turned his most wide-eyed expression towards Gibbs. "I can't reach the chocolate."

"Chocolate?" Gibbs blinked at the sudden change in topic. "You want some oatmeal with chocolate on it?"

"No, pineapple."

"Pineapple?" Gibbs couldn't quite keep the horror off his face at the thought of pouring chocolate syrup over a slice of pineapple, no matter how ripe it was. He almost jumped when Diane let out a short squeal.

"Oh, Timmy is having cravings. I remember that was one of the best parts of being pregnant."

"But chocolate and pineapple?" Gibbs kept watching the two of them as Diane kept talking and Tim took it all in, nodding in agreement.

"Not the syrup, though. It'll have a reaction with the pineapple juice. You need dipping chocolate. It'll form a shell around the pineapple."

"Oh, that sounds good."

"Yes." Now Diane was really getting into it, her hands waving around as she talked. She was very aware of Tim, but almost hit Jethro twice before he finally backed up a few steps. "My absolute favorite treat when I was pregnant with Emily was to take those round butter crackers, you know what I'm talking about?"

"Yeah, I haven't had any of those in weeks."

This time the hit to his arm was deliberate. "Jethro! He's pregnant, he needs his treats." Scolding finished, she returned her attention to Tim. "Anyway, take those crackers and spread them with cream cheese and then a slice of sweet pickle. So good."

Tim was nodding along with her. "That sounds really good." He turned to Gibbs with an expectant smile on his face even as he caught his lower lip with his teeth. "Jethro?"

For his part, Gibbs was just staring in horror as his ex-wife and current lover appeared to bond over pregnancy cravings. "Wait, wait, what? You don't even like pickles."

"But I want them." Now big green eyes, looking up at him through the lashes on his slightly down-turned face, were added to the mix.

"Fine." Gibbs knew when he'd been beat, even if he wasn't sure what the battle had been. He wrapped an arm around Diane's waist as he steered her toward the door, stopping to slip into his shoes. "I'll go get pickles and dipping chocolate, whatever the hell that is."

They were back out on the walkway before Gibbs stopped, turning to her with a serious expression on his face. "Do you understand how dangerous things are for him? There's still people out there that want to wipe all the evidence off the face of the Earth, Tim and the baby included."

"I understand, Jethro." She reached up and touched the side of his face. "Thank you for trusting me and – and I'm just so happy. You're gay and you're going to be a daddy. Now, don't worry about the store, you stay here and keep him safe while I go. Besides, you don't know what kind of chocolate to get him."

With that, she bounced off to her car and drove away. Gibbs was still standing in the same spot when Dorneget joined him. "Agent Gibbs?"

"What the hell just happened, Dorneget?"

Dorney's attention was bouncing between Gibbs and the tail lights of Diane's car. "I have no idea, sir, but can I just say that she scares the hell out of me and I'd rather take on a team of terrorists than deal with her?"

Gibbs reached up and patted Dorneget on the shoulder. "Yeah, me too, Dorney. Me too."

-NCIS-

Walking back into the house, Gibbs found Tim in the kitchen drinking down a glass of milk. "Pickles? Really?"

"It worked, didn't it?"

Gibbs stared, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Sometimes you amaze me." Tim shrugged and Gibbs continued to think. "So, why is she so happy that I'm officially gay now? Any theory about that?"

Tim took his glass over to the table and sat down, waiting for Gibbs to pour his coffee and join him. "She was mad and hurt at the idea that you had a new woman in your life, right? Especially with the idea that the new woman was giving you something Diane wasn't able to. Something that would tie the two of you together forever."

"Yeah..." He thought about what Tim was saying and realized that Diane would consider another woman a threat, even after all these years. "So, another woman shows Diane that she somehow failed, but the fact that you're a man..."

"Proves that no woman would ever make you happy and gets her off the hook. I'm not a threat because I'm proof that it wasn't her, it was her gender that made things impossible between the two of you." Tim smiled and put the empty glass down on the table. "Do you remember when Tony used to tease me about reading women's magazines? Learning how women think can be very useful."

"So I see." Gibbs saluted him with his cup, wondering how much grief he could have saved himself over the years if he'd learned that trick earlier.

-NCIS-

Diane pulled back into Jethro's driveway a few hours later, the back seat filled with bags of groceries. Dorneget had a frightened look on his face when she crooked her finger at him, calling him over, and that made her smile.

"If anything happens to Jethro or Tim and the baby, I'm holding you personally responsible. Got it?"

Dorney swallowed hard and his voice squeaked as he answered her. "Yes, ma'am."

She enjoyed it. "Good boy. Now, help me with the groceries."

Gibbs met them at the door and took the bags from Dorneget, letting him return to his post. "Looks like more than chocolate and pickles, Diane."

"Oh, I got him some extra treats. After all, the poor thing can't go shopping for himself." She followed him through the house, dropping her voice when she saw Tim dozing on the sofa. "Is he all right, Jethro?"

"Yeah, he just fell asleep a few minutes ago. How much do I owe you for the food?" Gibbs set his bags on the kitchen table and reached for his wallet, which she waved away.

"Don't worry about it. I had fun remembering about what it was like being pregnant." Without asking, she helped herself to a cup of coffee before starting to unload the bags. "I've had some time to think about it and I realized that I shouldn't have been so surprised. When we were married... did you ever?"

Especially after talking to Tim, Gibbs had a pretty good idea what she was asking. "Before Tim, the last guy I was involved with was when we were in high school. No matter how bad things got between us, I wouldn't have done that to you."

"I appreciate that, Jethro, and as crazy as it sounds, it's almost easier now, knowing that was the biggest problem in our marriage. All that time in the closet, when did you admit it to yourself?"

Gibbs gave a snort as he put away the three kinds of jelly she'd bought them before turning back toward her. "Honestly?"

She was beginning to really like this new version of her ex. "Yeah, honestly."

"When I looked at this smart, funny man, pregnant with my child and realized that for the first time in my life – I could have it all."

A little uncomfortable with such a raw admittance, he raked his fingers through his hair, allowing his tattoo to be seen. When he realized that she was staring at it, he pulled the sleeve up enough that she could see the whole thing. "It's our boy's heartbeat."

"Oh, Jethro, that's so sweet. So, it's a boy?"

"Yeah." Gibbs picked up one of the latest ultrasound images. "You want to see his picture?"

Out in the living room Tim smiled to himself and laid back down, glad Jethro had achieved peace with at least one of his ex-wives.


	60. Chapter 60

This was Gibbs' favorite time of the morning. It was quiet, especially on a Sunday morning, but now light enough to clearly see Tim as he slept nestled against Jethro. Yesterday had been a revelation when Diane finally accepted the changes in his life, even becoming excited at the prospect of the baby. She insisted that Gibbs inform her the moment they named a suspect as she had avenues of information that other agencies didn't. For now she was looking through Dr. Davidson's tax records to see what she could uncover. It was a long shot, but Gibbs hoped that they could find an unknown business associate of Davidson, someone who would spill the beans to protect himself while Kort continued to work on getting to Davidson who was hidden away by the shadowy powers at the CIA.

It would take time for any of those possibilities to pan out and Gibbs was learning to focus on the here and now, so he raised up on one elbow and nuzzled Tim's face before moving down. Tim smiled in his sleep and shifted slightly, just enough for Gibbs to reach his prize. Capturing the growing nub in his lips he rolled and sucked it until Tim was moaning and arching his back. He shifted to Tim's other nipple, repeating the process while he used his fingers to pinch and work the first one.

Tim was awake now and whispering his name, begging for more. Gibbs pulled back long enough for them to shift around a bit then returned to playing with Tim's nipples and the burgeoning breasts underneath them. He only stopped long enough to catch Tim's wandering hands. "Nope, not going to touch yourself."

"Close, so close, gonna..."

"I know." Gibbs kissed each of his hands and pressed them down on the bed. "You're going to come from just this. He bent back down and circled his tongue around the areola before flicking it over Tim's nipple, then repeated it on the other side. His fingers played with whichever nipple wasn't in his mouth at the time and when he felt Tim's hips start to move he began sucking even harder. A few more minutes of that and Tim came with a shout.

Slowly pulling back, he ran his fingers through the streaks on Tim's thigh and then sucked them clean with a smirk. "Ya like that?"

"Oh, yeah." Unlike any relationship he'd had with women, the more sex he and Jethro had, the more Tim wanted. He knew part of it was the pressure of the womb frame against the nerves that went through his prostate, but he also knew it was much more than just a physiological reaction. "Want you in me."

"Already?" Even as he asked, Gibbs was reaching for the supplies.

Tim's legs were spread in anticipation. "Yes."

Gibbs enjoyed the act of preparing Tim, still taking his time even though Tim's body was getting used to their lovemaking, but nothing was as good as the moment he slid inside. "Mine."

"Yours."

Taking his time, Gibbs rocked back and forth, the back of Tim's thighs pressed against his chest. He gently kissed the sides of Tim's knees before he gave into the call of his body and picked up speed. Just as his climax hit he started working Tim's cock, pulling him over the edge seconds later.

-NCIS-

"Hey." They'd cleaned up with the wipes before they'd fallen back asleep, but Gibbs was getting hungry and he knew Tim had to be, too.

Smiling without opening his eyes, Tim snuggled up against him. "Mmm, I could get used to lazy Sunday mornings."

Gibbs remembered Sunday mornings a lifetime ago and chuckled. "Yeah, well, don't get too used to it. Kids are notorious for waking up at the crack of dawn when the parents want to sleep in."

"That's probably true." Tim straightened up as his hunger made itself known, but Gibbs pushed his shoulder down while climbing out of the bed.

"I'll bring breakfast back up with me." He kissed Tim's forehead and grabbed a pair of sweatpants as he went downstairs.

Tim listened as Gibbs whistled, the cheerful sound almost drowning out the sounds of whatever he was fixing down in the kitchen. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps coming back up the stairs.

Sitting up with the pillows ready for both of them, Tim took the tray as Gibbs joined him on the bed. Once they were settled, the tray went on the bed between them.

Gibbs hated to admit that the food Diane had bought them looked pretty good. He'd brought up the bagels and cream cheese along with the assorted toppings she'd bought them. Gibbs added just the smoked salmon to both halves of his while Tim balanced his out with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers on top of the salmon.

Much to Tim's surprise, Gibbs hadn't bothered with coffee yet but had made a pot of the herbal tea Chris dropped of the day before. "This is pretty good, where'd it come from?"

"Chris brought a cup of it when we were finalizing the details about the nursery. Since I really liked it, he brought a tin of it over while he was working next door."

That reminded Gibbs of something he was meaning to ask. "Why is it taking so long over there? The truck is back again today. I could have painted it by myself before now."

"Well..." Tim shrugged as he took another bite. "I asked him to do a little more than just paint."

Gibbs gave him a hard look. "How much more?"

Tim didn't want this to turn into their first fight, but he wasn't going to back down either. "Your dad is giving up his home and the business he's run for most of his adult life just to be next to us and our baby. I wanted him to be comfortable and I didn't want you to have to worry about it."

"I didn't think it was that bad. The carpet just needed a good cleaning." Gibbs tried to think about the inside of the other house. He knew the bathroom was in good shape, but nothing awful about the rest of it really stood out.

"A cleaning would have taken the stains out of the carpet, but not the wear. Once their furniture was gone, it was pretty noticeable and replacing the carpet is a whole lot easier when the house isn't full of furniture."

"Okay, that makes sense. So paint and carpet?" When he saw the look on Tim's face, he knew they weren't done. "What else?"

Tim gave him a sheepish smile. "Umm, the kitchen."

"How much of the kitchen?"

"All of it?"

"Tim," Gibbs dropped his head, trying not to get mad. "That much money we really should have talked about."

"It wasn't that bad. My royalty check for the quarter more than covered the whole thing."

Gibbs' head shot up and he stared at Tim. "Really?"

"Really. Let's look at it as an investment for a minute, alright? Eventually you're going to inherit that house, so any money we put into it is worth it. There's nothing fancy or high end being put in it. Chris and Trevor flip houses and some they keep as rentals. He knows how to make it look good for the least amount possible. Okay?"

He couldn't get mad at Tim, not like he could at the assorted ex-wives, especially when he was giving Gibbs that earnest look and especially when he considered the plans he had for their house while Tim was in the hospital. "Okay."

"Good." Tim picked up his remaining bagel. "Chris should be arriving anytime if you want to go look at what they've gotten done so far. After you get dressed."

Grinning now, Gibbs glanced down at his bare feet and sweat pants. "You don't want me to go over there like this?"

-NCIS-

Dressed and with a fresh cup of coffee finally in his hand, Gibbs wandered over to check out the changes at Jack's new house. The door was open and Gibbs rapped on the door frame as he stepped inside. "Chris, you here?"

Two workers were preparing to pull up the carpet and Gibbs saw exactly what Tim had been talking about before Chris arrived from the kitchen. "Hey, Jethro, so Tim finally told you about it?"

"Yeah, he did." Gibbs squatted down to rub his hand over the carpet, noticing the definite change in texture between where the bookcase had stood for the last thirty years and where the family had walked. "Damn, I can't believe I didn't notice this."

"You had other things on your mind. Don't worry, though, your dad still got a good deal on the place. He's a hell of a businessman; I might have him tag along the next time Trevor and I decide to buy."

"We come from a long line of horse traders." Gibbs stood, satisfied that the correct decisions had been made. "Okay, show me what we're doing in the kitchen."

Chris didn't say anything, just led him into the kitchen and watched for the reaction.

Gibbs looked around in amazement. All of the old cabinets were gone and beautiful new ones were in their place finished in a warm oak. A new stainless steel sink and dishwasher were already installed and a new refrigerator was in place while the new stove was sitting on a piece of heavy cardboard to protect the new floor while the last section of countertop was being installed. "How? You've only been at it for a few days."

"We kept the same layout and everything we used was stock instead of custom ordered."

"Dad's going to love it."

"That's the plan." The counter was done so Gibbs and Chris moved out of the way while the crew carried the stove over and hooked it up to the gas line. "Tim wanted him to be comfortable and happy and for you to not have to worry about anything over here."

"And all he's asked for in our kitchen is a freezer and maybe a new fridge. Seeing this makes our kitchen look like crap."

Chris smothered a grin. "Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about your place. Those aren't the original cabinets, right?"

Gibbs had a far away look in his eyes when he remembered the kitchen Shannon had cooked in. "Nah, the original kitchen cabinets were quarter-sawn oak with stained glass inserts."

"So what the heck happened?"

"A pissed off ex-wife."

This time Chris barked out a laugh before shaking his head. "Jethro, honey, the next time my mother starts questioning my life choices and hinting around that I should turn straight and find a woman, I'm going to take you with me as exhibit A."

Gibbs had to laugh at that, too before he turned serious as he ran his fingers over the new solid surface countertop. "Start bouncing some ideas around, okay. I think it might be time to do some upgrading over at our place, too."

-NCIS-

Arriving back home, Gibbs gave a nod to the guard before detouring into their kitchen a refill of coffee. Once he had that he took the stairs two at a time, not wanting Tim to continue to worry about his reaction. He expected to find him waiting nervously, instead he had his nose buried in his laptop. "Hey..."

Instead of looking up, Tim just raised one finger in the universal sign of wait while he worked on whatever had his attention. Gibbs was dumbfounded, but before he could say anything, Tim obviously finished what he was doing as he closed down his laptop. "Okay, now I'm all yours."

Setting his cup down, Gibbs sat on the edge of the bed and took the laptop when it was handed to him. "Place over there looks good, real good. Now, what were you doing that had your attention like that? I haven't seen you so buried in a computer since the last case you worked."

"I hit the mother lode." When Gibbs just stared at him, Tim explained. "I started looking at sites about breastfeeding and from there I went to sites about adoptive mothers actually breastfeeding their new babies. Then I found – did you know that there is an actual fetish where men feed from their wives and girlfriends?

That made Gibbs blink, but Tim kept talking. "Some of those women haven't had a baby, so they had to do a lot of what Dr. Hughes suggested that we do."

"Okay..." Gibbs knew his eyebrows were climbing as he struggled to wrap his mind around just where Tim was going with this.

"Then I found a sub-set of the fetish where it's the men that want to breastfeed for sexual purposes." Tim let that sink in for a moment. "I found a discussion forum where these men talk about what they did. Hormone creams, herbal supplements, the whole words. Some of them documented every step. Doses, timetables, results, it's all there. I sent all of it to Dr. Hughes. Maybe some of that will help me."

"Cool."

Tim flashed him a grin at the cheeky response. "Very, especially if it helps."

He waited until Gibbs had set the laptop down on the dresser and returned to pick up his coffee, swallowing a large mouthful. "So, do you want to breastfeed, too?" Laughing, he helped mop up coffee before pulling Gibbs close. "Or help me work on mine some more?"

* * *

><p><strong>an - Yep, real research and a real website that I found for this story.**


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